


Tempest

by RubyScars



Category: Maximum Ride - James Patterson, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-04-10 01:47:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 95,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4372472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RubyScars/pseuds/RubyScars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Auria was one of the few Avian Americans around, but that didn't mean she was part of The Flock. She didn't belong with the other bird kids, and maybe she was always meant to be on her own. That's what she thought when one of her solo missions sent her straight into the arms of The Avengers. Whom, alright she was breaking into their tower but really, decided to hold her hostage until all of their questions were answered. If a genius playboy philanthropist in an Iron suit, an equally genius scientist with an anger management problem, and a super soldier from the world war, not too mention a couple of assassins, weren't enough problems she also stumbles into one, James Buchannan Barnes. Who is not so dead as the world thinks. He also has quite a few secrets. Well, so does she. Who thinks her living here is a good idea? And no, Tony does not get a vote. He has a warped sense of humor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Erasers and Soldiers

 

Auria ruffled her feathers, settled back on her heels, and then punched him in the face. She felt the impact as her knuckles cracked against his temple, dropping him quickly. She shook her sore hand with a soft curse, but a smile curled up her lips as she bounced out of reach when another fist flailed in her direction. She twisted quickly, catching the second man off guard with a quick kick to his knee. It wasn't suppose to turn in that direction. He screamed in pain as it twisted unnaturally, cracking loud enough to be audible.

Auria quickly leapt on top of the bar, dancing out of reach as another man came at her, a growl visibly rising in him and rippling through the air as he changed. Black fur sprouted along his arms and up his neck, growing on his extending face and short muzzle. Sharp fangs snapped at her as clawed hands reached for her legs. She leapt over his arms and ran down the bar, ignoring the curses thrown in her direction and then the scared screams that followed behind her when they caught sight of the Eraser following. She nimbly dodged the beer bottles and hands in her way, chuckling to herself when she glanced over her shoulder to find the Eraser left far behind.

And then instead of hard wood in under her sneaker something sunk, sliding her foot out from in under her and throwing her off balance. She hit her butt with a thud, her laugh turning into a short shriek. She turned the fall into a slide, slipping off of the bar and leaping over a table as she flushed in embarrassment. She looked around to see if anyone had noticed how ungraceful she had just been, but they all seemed properly distracted by the half man wolves in their vicinity. She felt her toes squelch as she took a step and she looked down to see nacho cheese dripping off of her black shoes. It had found the hole worn through the side above the plastic sole and she made a face in disgust. She couldn't focus on it for long however, because the bar around her had exploded into a flurry of panic and chaos.

Auria was just a step away from the door, already open to freedom from people fleeing the monster in their presence, when she looked back. The Eraser was still shifted, wolf eyes on her as slobber dripped out of his snapping jaws. He was making his way to her through the crowd, but the sight of him had caused a few of the braver occupants to throw chairs and whatever else they could find in his way. The crush of people trying to get away from him actually slowed him down as they pushed and screamed and Auria could easily slip out now and be long gone before he could catch up. But she could see whatever humanity the Eraser had start slipping, animal mania surfacing and taking control as he started to turn his claws on the humans around him. Pretty soon it would be his jaws, and she doubted whomever he got a hold of could survive that.

With a groan and an angry inner monologue, Auria turned back, irritated at herself and grateful that there were just two here. The first was still out cold. She had noticed the handsome face circling closer to her and the stool she had been sitting on, another darker man following in his wake. It hadn't taken much to figure out what they were. Or take him by surprise, take them out, and make her escape in this crowded bar. But then his friend had to go and lose control, not only endangering the defenseless humans but completely blowing his cover. Auria was pretty sure he wasn't suppose to let everyone know he was an Eraser, much less in New York. Auria had just been staring at Stark Tower less than an hour ago, and she was certain that wasn't the kind of attention they wanted.

She slid a knife out from the sheathe on her forearm, her loose jacket giving her room to drop it into her hand. Once more she jumped onto the bar, getting above all of the bystanders, but this time she watched where she placed her feet. She looked around before nudging a startled man with one foot. He had been staring at the Eraser in shocked horror and he jumped at her touch, turning to stare up at her so fearfully that his mustache quivered.

"Easy there," she told him, leaning to lift his beer bottle off from the bar and holding it up for inspection.

"Mind if I borrow this?" Auria asked him politely and he burst into tears, only now running for the door. She rolled her eyes, hefting the bottle lightly and feeling the liquid slosh. Good, almost completely full. Then she cocked her arm and threw, the glass bursting against the Erasers shoulder and spewing him with the foul smelling liquid. He snapped at it angrily, eyes rolling to find her.

"Come 'ere boy!" she called sarcastically, patting her legs as if calling for a puppy. The Eraser roared in anger, his human vocal cords screaming in rage until he reached a frequency that was almost a howl. The sound was unnerving and nearly everyone flinched, backing as far away from it as possible. The hair on the back of Auria's neck stood up, but she didn't look away as he stalked closer. Now focused on her, he seemed to ignore the people around them, no longer swiping them to get out of his way. He had found his prey, and it wasn't going anywhere.

"So, come here often?" Auria asked nervously, laughing at herself softly when he growled in response. She took a step back, his yellow eyes following the move and she slowly moved her other foot, trying to keep him at distance. But he took a step forward, bounding farther than he should've been able to with a broken leg, genetically strengthened muscles coiling as he leapt onto the bar in front of her. She jerked at the unexpected movement but her shoulders squared as she faced him. He crouched over as he moved towards her and Auria froze for a moment unsure what to do now that she had his attention.

She watched the people scramble for the door out of the corner of her eyes, unable to look away from the beast in front of her. If she did she knew he would be at her throat quicker than she could blink. She was relieved to find a man directing people away, his blonde head above most of the crowds as he confidently gave orders. At least someone kept their head in a crisis she decided, dismissing the people from her mind now that someone else was in charge. Besides, there wasn't much else she could do for them now, she kind of had her own problem to deal with and it was almost two hundred pounds of deadly. Her fingers tightened around the knife in her hand, only raising it slightly from where it was pointed at the ground. The Eraser's eyes darted to the blade, growling in response and moving closer.

"You don't have to do this. You have a choice, everyone does," Auria whispered, knowing he could hear her. The pointed ears that had sprouted from his black hair twitched at the sound of her calm voice and she thought she saw confusion in his yellow eyes. For a moment she thought she had reached him, the reasoning human inside of the beast, and her heart lightened. And then he leapt. She locked the scream of fear in her throat, knife darting upward to find his chest as his fangs closed inches from her throat. She instinctively rolled, pushing him off of the bar and getting him off of her where he couldn't use his weight to his advantage. They fell together but she wasn't relinquishing her position from on top. She pulled her knife out from where it had been buried, too far down to be lethal, holding it ready once more as she dug her knee into his wounded leg. He whined in pain, blood pouring out of his chest wound but she knew that wouldn't stop him for long.

His muzzle opened and she jumped at the hacking pant sound that came from between his teeth, startled as the disturbing sound. Its eyes were focused somewhere over her shoulder. It was laughing. Auria tried to turn as fear sizzled through her, knife slashing to protect herself but a large hand that was more of a paw closed around her throat, lifting all five feet eight inches of her off of the ground as if it was nothing. She gasped in panic, trying to drag air into her lungs without any success. She could feel her neck bruising and the claws slowly digging into the back of her neck. Spots danced before her eyes as blood started sliding down her collar. It was the Eraser from before, a large bruise showing from beneath the tawny fur now growing on his face. He pulled her closer, foul breath brushing the hair away from her face as he stared into her eyes, enjoying her pain. His eyes were still green, all too human as they flared with pleasure at her gasps.

And then they widened in shock as she buried her knife in his throat. Pain flooded them as his hold instinctively tightened, causing Auria's world to go dark before he let go, paws futilely reaching for his throat to stop the bleeding. Auria's hand slipped away from the hilt and she panicked as she lost her weapon and her vision. She gasped in agony and relief, the air rushing down her throat bringing waves of pain as she hit her knees, palms pressed against the gritty disgusting floor that was covered in spilled beer and who knows what kind of bodily fluids. She was beyond grateful to see the disgusting thing when her vision cleared, no matter what stains were there, and when she looked up she found the twitching corpse of an Eraser. She moved to stand up, trying to kneel as she twisted on her knees to find her other attacker watching the dying Eraser in disbelief, only his surprise keeping him from murdering her while she was defenseless.

She pressed her hand against the floor, pushing herself into a standing position in a rush of fear fueled adrenaline as he moved to avenge the fallen Eraser, only to watch him get shot in the chest. They both numbly stared at the holes that punched through his body, forcefully jerking him before they silently bloomed liked morbid roses, blood spreading across his chest from the three holes now in a tight formation over his heart. He sunk to his knees, hair retreating as he lifted clawless fingers to his chest. Auria turned to find the new assailant, pulling her blood covered knife out of the dead Eraser's neck from at her feet. 

A man stood four feet away, dark hair falling to rest on his shoulders. He emanated danger, face cold and body poised. In his right hand he easily held a black gun, silencer on the end, but it was pointed at the ground and not her. His left hand was covered in a black glove, but it was empty. She didn't for a second believe that he couldn't raise the gun quicker than she could run. She took a deep breath, every instinct in her telling her that this man was dangerous, from what she could see but more from what she could just sense from all of the years of being around killers. But then he blinked, face relaxing slightly as he looked at her for the first time and she noticed how blue his eyes were in his pale face. He looked unbelievably tired.

They stared at each other, weapons in hand as they considered what to do next. And then someone came through the door and her eyes flickered towards him for a second before returning to watch the dark one. It was another man, the one she had seen earlier ushering people to safety. He was light where the first one was dark, short blonde hair in a handsome strong face. He was athletically built, bigger than the one with the gun but he didn't move the way the first one did. He was more of a soldier where the first one screamed killer.

But that second looking away was all it took for the tired man to relax, at least a bit. He slid the gun back in under his clothes, hiding it beneath his jacket but he still stood coiled, ready for anything. The blond man walked forward, gently setting one hand on his shoulder once he stood beside him. Auria noticed he had been loud in his movements, careful in his touch only once he was in eyesight. Even he knew he was around someone dangerous but it wasn't as if he feared him. His eyes were kind and his touch gentle. 

"Hey, are you all right, Miss?" the new man asked her and Auria's eyes flickered towards his face. He was concerned and she scowled at the way he exuded sincerity. His eyes were also blue, lighter and open. Quite frankly it was unexpected, and not to be trusted, but she nodded in response, eyes once more going back to the man that tried to save her life. Tried, because she obviously had it handled. He more or less aided in saving her life. At her close inspection he seemed to look down, his face carefully expressionless but she could see the dark shadows around his eyes and the way his skin seemed too tight .

"Yes," she told the light one, eyes darting back to catch the first man's tortured blue eyes and adding quickly, "Thank you."

He didn't smile but his chin tilted up a bit and she nodded in acknowledgment. The man beside him radiated happiness, grinning at her with a smile that should melt her heart. Instead it caused her to back up a step. He frowned at the motion, seemingly confused, and she carefully watched him as she took another step back.

"I'm leaving now," she told them, not asking permission, and the blonde one opened his mouth to say something, perhaps to ask her a question or to tell her not to go. Auria didn't wait to find out. She turned quickly, dashing to the door and twisting out of view before they could say anything to try and stop her. Her back prickled the entire time, knowing that if he had wanted she would have a bullet in her back quicker than she could escape. But the pain never came and she ran down the back alley swiftly, ignoring her new aches and pains thanks to the Erasers.

She darted through a different alley, leaping to catch the top of a fence and pulling herself up it if, not quite effortlessly, a lot easier than it would have been for a human. Once on top she balanced herself instead of dropping to the other side. She walked down the edge and pulled herself up once again, onto someone's balcony. She trotted up the stairs, reaching the roof before running out of breath. Her throat ached and she needed to get away. If these Erasers could find her it was only a matter of time before more could, or this time they could send better Experiments. Perhaps some Elite. Not to mention her new 'friends'. It was hard to trust anyone, much less trained killers with pretty faces. Better to leave them behind quickly as well. Even if she couldn't stop thinking about haunted blue eyes.

 

~<3~

 

"But you're hurt!" Steve exclaimed, moving to go after her but she was fast. She was out the door before he knew it. He could catch up if he wanted to, he could outrun anyone besides maybe Bucky, but he let her go. Instead he turned towards Bucky who still hadn't moved. He needed Steve more, and though it bothered him to let her run away while bleeding, from the look of the way she held that knife she could more than handle herself. 

James Buchannan Barnes however was about to shut down. Steve turned towards him, making sure to catch his eyes as he stepped closer and pressed his hand gently to his shoulder. He could feel the tense muscles in under his hand, every inch of him was ready to run or kill. Or get punished. Steve pushed away his fury at the dull way Bucky's eyes looked away from him. He couldn't let Bucky see it, it wouldn't help. 

"So, Buck, we go out once and you manage to find werewolves? Really?" Steve asked him teasingly, the tone of voice not fitting into any of the scenarios Bucky's mind was expecting. He looked up, confused and then a spark of amusement and even bitterness. He hated every moment that his body and mind controlled him. Steve stepped closer, draping his arm loosely over Bucky's shoulders so that it would only take a small shift to push it off. But he didn't. 

Bucky felt relieved at the touch, grounding him, reminding him where he was. It was Steve. No longer scrawny, but still impossibly annoying and heroic Steve. He could still feel the cool resolve that settled over him when he had slid his weapon out and fired. It was easy, almost unthinking, and that should terrify him. But it didn't. He understood killing, where to shoot how to effortlessly take out a target. He had put it down within seconds. The girl was another thing. He had turned, already evaluating her. Slender, young, knife left hand, wounded, easy to kill. Not a danger.

When his eyes had met hers he could see the fear there, the acknowledgment that he could take her life easily. It was to be expected, he was relieved to see it. It hurt. The new part of him that had a choice, that wasn't just a weapon, that had emotions had seen the way distrust made her watch him. Her eyes were grey and they knew what he was. And then Steve had come back, footsteps even, weight appropriate, careful when he came to rest by his side. She had looked at him and whatever held him had broke. He realized that he had easily just killed without a second thought and was staring down a young woman in a destroyed bar. He had slowly put away his weapon, her eyes frightened and watching him like some innocent deer that had caught sight of a wolf. But oh this deer had seen wolves before. 

He was just a killer, one that had snapped, one that had killed without permission. He could feel the fear pull at him and scrape across his mind, taking him to a place where this one didn't make any sense. Steve being here and caring about him made less sense to his injured mind than the place where you expect pain. His mind was just echoing, hurting in bursts at the way his body knew what to expect, knew what was about to happen. Steve making lousy jokes wasn't suppose to be it. His words seeped into his brain, cracking the fear slightly in an incredulous start of surprise. Not enough to abandon him, but for him to look up and catch sight of his best friend, here beside him. To feel the warmth and contact of his arm across his shoulders. 

"Come on, you know the minute Stark hears that we were here we are never going to hear the end of it. We might as well head back and get some quick rest while we can," Steve told him, but he didn't push him. Didn't make him move if he wasn't ready. Bucky suddenly sighed, shoulders drooping and Steve frowned as Bucky's head fell foward, knowing he couldn't see his sad expression. He let himself look worried for his best friend while it was okay. 

Guilt consumed Bucky, at what had happened, at once again losing control, of never being okay. Steve deserved so much more than the broken person he had to look after because he was so pathetic he was scared of himself. He should be. Everyone should be scared of him, they should just put him down. 

"Sorry," Bucky managed, but Steve snorted, squeezing gently in the closest thing to a hug he would try right now and Bucky knew Steve would never let them even if Bucky deserved it. Steve was still just as stubborn as the sick boy who got beat up in alleys and kept coming back for more. 

"No need. You saved lives today, Bucky," Steve reminded him gently and Bucky looked over at the bodies still on display. One was still half animal, fur and claws and a face grotesquely stretched into the resemblance of a canine muzzle. He had never seen anything like it, at least not that he remembered and yet the sight made him shiver and his head ache. 

"I was pretty sure I had finally leapt off of the cliff and took a dive into insanity," Bucky told him and Steve followed his eyes to the creature. 

"I don't blame you. I have never seen anything like it, and believe me I would have remembered if this had come up in any report the Avengers had received," Steve told him and Bucky shifted his weight nonchalantly removing Steve's arm. But then he hesitantly raised his hand and squeezed Steve's shoulder, a silent thank you that he couldn't say. Steve turned as Bucky moved towards the door, pausing to let Steve lead the way. One thing was for sure, Stark was really going to enjoy this.


	2. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Auria and Bucky Barnes have trouble sleeping.

Auria moved through the apartment quietly, still wrapped in a giant towel. She had decided to borrow someone's shower, having slipped into their apartment while they were away. They were away to visit family or something, and she had decided not to let a perfectly good apartment go to waste after discovering they would be gone for a while. Hearing them at the convenient store had just been luck, following them home and making sure she could break in by securing their window with a piece of wire had been planning. 

Even though she expected to have it to herself for a week at least, her wings were dry. She had been too worried to get them soaked and not be able to fly in case of an emergency. Better cautious than dead she had decided, washing away the blood, sweat, and bar grime before getting out. One thing she would miss from her appropriated apartment was showers. She was careful not to take too many and make her neighbors realize there was someone here who wasn't suppose to be, but someone was playing heavy metal music so loud she was pretty sure no one would notice. 

She propped herself up on the kitchen table, spreading the medical kit she had found in under the sink out on display. She smeared some antibiotic cream onto a gauze pad, pressing it to the back of her neck with wince. She had poured peroxide over the cuts in the shower but they still ached. She really really hoped that she couldn't get some kind of wolf aids or something. She used the medical tape to hold it down, knowing she would never be able to leave it on there for long. It was already irritating, making her fingers twitch with the urge to scratch it off. 

She had a handprint around her throat, starting to bruise spectacularly and she knew she wouldn't be able to go out in public wihtout a scarf for a couple of days. It hurt when she swallowed but it was only a minor inconvenience and so she forgo taking the tylenol that was also in the kit. Other than that all she had was a minor cut on her ankle that she didn't remember getting, probably from a broken beer bottle, and a bruise or two. She slapped a small bandaid on her ankle for good measure before packing the kit back up and dragging on some dry clothes. She chose a loose tank, slits in the back easy to slide her wings through, and some leggings feeling a bit exposed but enjoying the sensation.

She had pulled all of the windows closed and locked everything. No one should be able to see her wings and it was so rare she could leave them out, even while she slept. She kept fluttering them open or ruffling her feathers to feel the air move against them and to stretch the muscles. Now clean and with her wounds tended she raided the fridge, scarfing a long sub sandwich they had bought and left behind, and then she ate the icecream for good measure. She reasoned it would probably be bad before they got back anyway before going to her borrowed bedroom. She had been far to squeamish to sleep in someone elses bed, but not enough to sleep on the couch. It was too rare an opportunity to sleep on something actually comfortable and so she slept in the room she asssumed was for a college student hardly home. 

It was obviously loved but almost never used, and so she fell into it with barely a second thought. She lay on her stomach, feeling for her recently cleaned knife in under the pillow. She spread her wings out slightly, before falling asleep, secure with the fact that if anyone tried to get in she had set up an alarm that a certain birdkid had given her as a present. Sometimes, having people you trusted was useful. Her dreams were plagued by blue eyes, watching her. She always took a step fowards, to go to them, to help when agony radiated from her chest. She looked down to see blood seeping out of a hole in her chest, turning into rose petals before hitting the ground. She turned to find another set of blue eyes but then the pain was in her back and her wings were flared, trying to find air to carry her away except they were seeping as well, feathers falling out and turning into red rose petals that covered the ground until she was drowning in them. For some reason she still moved foward, reaching out to the dark figure that stood before her. She could see the gun glint in his hands and yet she tried to move faster, to reach him. He needed her. 

 

She woke up with a gasp, covered in sweat and holding her knife before her. She shivered as reality settled around her, the dark night alive with the sounds of the city replaced the night terror but she could still recall fragments. She replaced her knife onto her pillow, checking the cell phone that was attached to the devices on all of the doors. Nothing had changed, everything was still locked. She rolled onto her side, curling up around herself as she tried to get rid of her dreams. For some reason she seemed cold, still caught up in a haunted gaze and pain. Who was he? Who were they, and why had they helped her? Were they with the School?  
She didn't think so. They wouldn't have let her leave if they were, but they certainly weren't just good samaritans. No, there was training and purpose in them. Auria crawled out of bed, abandoning any hope of going back to sleep for a while. Another shower sounded good, the neighbors were probably off to work already. There were some cookies in the cabinet and hot chocolate. She stepped back into the bathroom, letting the water heat up to a level she almost couldn't stand so that it would seep into her and warm her bones. 

 ~<3~

Bucky couldn't sleep. He went over the earlier events once again, trying to locate what was bothering him so much. It wasn't even the soldier that was worried, it wasn't something that he had overlooked. It was him. This feeling human that he was trying to figure out how to be, that felt way to much. Steve had already went to bed, having grumbled about Stark and Banner. They had been asked questions, more like interrogated, by more than just Stark when they made it back to the tower. 

A S.H.I.E.L.D agent had dropped by, one of the people at the bar had recognized Captain America and had posted a video of the encounter titled 'Captain America battles a Werewolf at Bear's Gay Bar.' Tony Stark had a never ending stream of jokes that you couldn't imagine, and you wouldn't believe the amount of times Steve threatened to throttle him. Bucky's personal favorite had to do with the entire incident being a date gone wrong. It was when Stark added, or maybe really really right right with a wink just as Steve was about to answer and made Steve turn red that had gotten Bucky to snort. Steve had glared at him, calling him a bastard of a traitor that made Stark chortle and the agent to blush. Captain America usually didn't end up in these situations, it was usually Tony Stark they had to clean up after, and Captain America usually didn't use such colorful language. It didn't help when Steve explained that they were really down the street when they had heard the commotion. They hadn't even known it was a gay bar until afterwards but Stark didn't really care about the specifics. 

After they had calmed both Stark and Steve down, the agent had asked so many questions that Bucky had decided to decline to answer. Steve reported, leaving Bucky to try and calm down, but it was hard with everyone intensly focused on them. Only now was he slowly relaxing. He lived with Steve, his dependancy on him made Bucky sick to his stomach but it didn't make it any less. Steve was the only thing that brought him back, gave him calm in a world that wasn't right. Even if he did remember who he use to be, that Bucky should have died years ago. This wasn't his time. This wasn't his life anymore, he didn't know what to do with it. He could barely breathe anymore, between memories that aren't real, and maybe worse, the memories that were. The before, the pain, the numbness, the blood. All of it inside of his brain at once. 

That was it. Bucky clenched his hands, feeling the nails biting into his skin on the right. His left was only pressure, a tightening the feeling of force. He made himself let it go but he only dragged it over his face. That's what he recongizned, in her eyes. He could see the pain, the fear, all of it. She had medium hair, somewhere between brown and blonde, pulled back in a ponytail. A jacket, a size too big, and worn out sneakers. Everything about her was ordinary, if a bit worn out. Her face was pretty, not one of those actresses of black and white movies or a pin up girl but soft and feminine. It was her eyes. Large grey eyes that watched him as if she understood him that he couldn't forget. Because she did. 

Bucky rubbed his eyes moving over to fall into his bed. Steve's was just an arms length away, their room set up almost like a personalized hotel. Stark hadn't blinked an eye when they had moved their stuff in together not a week after Steve had brought Bucky home. There was something to be said about the man who bothered everyone about anything. When it really mattered, he didn't. He had just set to work personalizing this floor, remodling bits and pieces for Bucky as well. It was Steve's floor, Captain America's. It bothered Bucky, and he tried to avoid it but it had been months since he had come home and yet it still bothered him, on a level that he hated. On the bone deep, soul deep level, that none of this was real and that he was still somewhere in a machine. About to be woken up to kill again.

He looked over to find Steve's sleep face turned in his direction, like it always was. Even in sleep Steve was there for him, open for him in case he ever needed to reach out. He wondered if the girl had someone there for her. He wondered what she had nightmares about, because he was sure she did. It would be a while before his body would turn off, accept that he was allowed to sleep. To really rest because he wasn't going to be awake for days until his body forced him to shut down because it was at its limit. In the morning it would take him a while to eat. If he wasn't starving then his body didn't think he should have the luxury. Bucky rolled onto his back staring at the ceiling. Wondering if the girl had anything to eat. She seemed thin. Perhaps she was just naturally willowy. It seemed as if there was an edge of hunger to her face though. Or was that the blood loss? He remembered the blood seeping down her neck, the raspy way she was breathing. Maybe they should find her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just tell me if this is going too fast, or the chapter are too short, or if anyone even cares. If you tell me, I'll try to update faster, and I'll take any opinions into consideration. I want to get better after all :) Thanks!


	3. James 'Bucky' Barnes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Auria deals with the unexpected catch in her plan, by throwing out her plan. Bucky and Steve get a surprise during breakfast.

Auria woke up to the phone buzzing. She quickly grabbed it, before realizing that it wasn't the sound set for the alarm. Just a text message. Even those were rare and so she opened it quickly, just a little bit calmer. She clicked the video, confused that Nudge had sent it to her when she read the title. At first she skimmed through it but then she went back to the word werewolf. Then the words Captain America. 

"Crap crap crap crap crap," she muttered, sitting up to click play. It was a horrible video, a shot of the Eraser growling at her as she leapt onto the bar and then the blonde man rushing people out of the door along with whomever held the camera. He wasn't wearing his uniform, Auria would've recognized the spandex at least, but he directed them with authority before diving in through the throngs of people. If you were watching for him, you would see his dark shadow lithly follow right behind, carefully not touching the people around him. It shut off after that but it was enough. Nudge had found it, and okay so the technical genius that was Nudge was unique, but the School wouldn't be very far behind. 

Another text message caused her to groan as she saw the laughy faces and hearts. Nudge had a fangirl moment over Captain America, then a quick chatisement from Max, and then more Nudge laughing at her. Auria replied quicky, yes he is cute, no I will not introduce you, I will handle it. And then simply, thanks. Your welcome came back, with a heart and some kissy faces that Auria grimaced at, ignoring the way her heart warmed at the sight. She didn't reply but Nudge didn't expect her to and so Auria got to packing. She tried to make it as if she had never been there but the raided food was going to be noticed and she was unwilling to take the time to replace it.

She shoved some cans into her bag, along with crackers and some beef jerky. Then she left a thank you note, no explanation but still. She slid all of her alarms off of the windows and doors and into her backpack, turning them off and carefully wrapping them in a shirt. Nudge would kill her if she had to ask for more. Then she climbed out the window and tried to fit in with the crowds of people. It wasn't too hard, it was New York after all, and she doubted that if she took off her jacket and unfolded her wings that she would get too much attention. Most of them would say cool and walk on, sure she was a great fake, or just ignore her entirely assuming that she was just another flamboyantly costumed teen. The School would know she wasn't though and so her jacket stayed on. 

She worked her way down the street, eyes turning to find Stark Tower with a small curse. Now they knew what she looked like. She had come to New York specifically because she had never been on camera, and because she worked well alone. It should be easy to make a nice friend to get her into Stark Tower. That's what she was doing at the bar before ugly and uglier showed up. And then freaking Captain America came to save the day. She stopped, realizing that now that she knew who he was she could probably discover who the dark one was. She ignored the way her stomach twisted, telling herself it was for research. There was quite a bit about Captain America online. She had already researched him but in most of his pictures he was in his mask. She still should have recognized him she scolded, ignoring the excuse that she was staring at some one else the whole time. She skimmed through his fangirls, and his exploits, searching for the identity of the soldier. 

A website that was a little more historical than just talking about his abs came up and she went through all of the things she knew. She had done her research of the Avengers, you always want to know whose home you were breaking into, but she had never stopped to really look at the people around him, they were all dead by now or they were suppose to be. But there. In one of the old black and white photographs was the soldier. His hair was shorter and styled, eyes bright and smile wide as he looked over at Captain America. He was in unifrom, his hat handsomly tilted on his head. But, that was James Barnes, childhood best friend of Steve Rogers. He died in battle. In World War II. 

Auria quickly typed in this new name, but everywhere she looked they all said the same thing. James, Bucky, Barnes was dead. And it should. A man out of time might happen once, but for it to happen twice? No, this was not the same. They would've reported about Seargent Bucky Barnes, Captain America's best friend, thawed out and saved just like Steve Rogers. He was a war hero after all, dying in battle. Something was off. It wasn't the war that scarred him, that left him with those insincts. But what was it? And why was it a secret? 

With more questions than answers Auria set off in the direction of the tower. It was now or never, if they discovered anything about her it would be to late. In and out. Auria felt apprhehension set in as she wondered why she was going on this suicide mission anyway. This was Stark's, genius Iron Man Tony Stark's, tower. She hadn't had enough time to case it, to figure out a way in. She hadn't had any time to formulate a plan and now she was throwing out the plan! It was a fortress, more secure than the White House and Auria knew that from experience. And winging it didn't seem like a good idea. But that's what she was going to do.  
And now she had a secret soldier to worry about. James Buchanan Barnes, who are you? And are you going to give me any trouble? 

 

~<3~

 

Bucky had woken up when Steve went out for his run. The entire outer edge of this floor had been turned into a track so Steve wouldn't have to leave the building. Wouldn't have to leave Bucky. Bucky grimaced, but he felt relieved when he heard the door open once more and Steve's shoes hit the floor. He hated that only Steve's presence could undo the knot in his stomach, that he was consuming his friend's life. But just because he hated it didn't mean he didn't need it. He lifted up, going to make coffee. He remembered coffee. It seemed strange that this was a certainty when so much else wasn't. 

He could barely remember anything, but he could remember the thin coffee they had made before the war, scraping as much time out of it as possible before caving and spending money they didn't have to buy some more. Then during the war it was strong, almost disgusting, anything with flavor thrown in to make it last. Coffee. 

He lifted the cup, passing it to his left hand when it got too hot. Then he sat out Steve's cup, moving to make breakfast. It had been a month before Bucky could barely do anything on his own. Not that he couldn't but that he wasn't allowed to without permission. It made no sense, and even then it was only Steve's insistence, his determination that made even the smallest difference.

Now Bucky sat about making breakfast, making sure that Steve ate. Steve would glare at him, and conjole him and then just look at him with sad eyes until Bucky could get his stomach to obey him enough to eat and he finally would. But Bucky would make sure Steve ate enough whether or not he did. 

After the serum it took so much more energy for Steve, and Bucky had always had one clear goal, to take care of him. That was a certainty as well as coffee, that he should take care of Steve. He wasn't sure how many times he sat beside him, listening to him cough and fight for his life. He couldn't remember the exact amount of times he went to the doctor, pouring out whatever amount he could and bullying whatever he needed to to get doctors to see Steve. They all blurred together, indistinct, some not even real, but he knew some of them where.

He could stilll remember skinny, sick Steve, barely able to move. He could remember Steve bleeding, punched to the ground only to get back to his feet. Some things didn't change. And that look in his eyes were one of them. Steve came down the hall, dressed and sniffing the air. 

"Is that bacon?" he asked happily, making sure he moved around so that he wasn't directly behind Bucky. Then he did move behind him, letting him know where he was by his footsteps as he made his cup of coffee. Bucky gritted his teeth, hating that Steve had to be cautious, had to be careful. Hating that he was grateful that he was. 

"Mmm," he grunted in reply, ignoring the wet head that dropped easily onto his shoudler as he gave him a hug. He elbowed Steve in the stomach, and Steve grunted, smacking him lightly on the back of he head. Bucky turned, lightly punching him in the shoulder for pulling a move that he didn't use to be able too because Steve had always been too short. Steve only grinned, stealing the pan and the now finished bacon and moving to put it on their plates. Bucky didn't try and tell him that he wasn't hungry. It would only end in an argument.

"So, what did the tights club think of yesterday?" Bucky asked, and Steve gave him a long suffering look over his shoulder.

"Bucky, you were there," he complained, but his eyes weren't dissapointed just amused. He threw a piece of bacon at Bucky, who caught it before continuing.

"Ah well, if I could get away with not listening to them I would. Especially Stark," Steve growled and Bucky couldn't help but grin. Steve caught the normal expression, lighting up happily and Bucky ignored his guilt at the sight. How happy just a normal thing made him just showed how dysfunctional Bucky was making his life. 

"I was listening to Stark," he told him and Steve threw another piece of bacon at him. He caught this one as well, and decided to chew on it before he was holding his entire plate. 

"No one can find anything. S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't have anything on them, and we are now referring to them as hybrids. Evidently one too many werewolf jokes from Tony. If they did have something, we don't now. It's driving everyone crazy," Steve told him while scarfing down his food. Bucky smiled when Steve slipped and called him Tony. Although they clashed, it seemed to be part of their friendship and Bucky was certain Steve actually knew it and wasn't as grumpy as he tried to put on. It made Bucky relieved to see Steve making friends, making a life for himself. He certainly deserved it. 

"What about the girl?" Bucky asked casuallly. Perhaps too casually because Steve looked up sharply, trying to discern what emotion Bucky was hiding. What was bothering him, and if he could try and help fix it. 

"Nothing about her either. She's only on the video for a small moment, and no one recognizes her. They ran her face through the database and nothing. Which shouldn't have happened, she should at least have a birth certificate or something but absolutely nothing. Just like the wolves," Steve told him, stretching as he stood up. He pushed Bucky's plate towards him, and ignored his glare as he went to get more coffee. 

"Somethin doesn't feel right," Bucky finally admitted to Steve's back. He saw his friend pause and try to find the right words. Nothing ever felt right when it came to Bucky, but this was obviously something new.

"With the girl?" Steve asked, turning to talk to him. He leaned against the counter and sipped his coffee, watching Bucky as he waited for him to find the words.  
"Yes," Bucky answered, but he coudln't force anything else past his throat. He seemed too tense, settling into one of his bad days as he thought about her and Steve frowned. For some reason she was causing a strong reaction in Bucky.

"Do you think," he trailed off and Bucky watched him carefully, as if afraid where he was going, "that you recognize her?" 

Did he recognzie her? From before, from the lab, during those long years. Was she like him? Was she a target? Was there some time when he had seen her face? Bucky slightly shook his head, not sure if he could trust himself but she didn't seem to fit in anywhere in his mind. She had never been there before, she slid through the rough cracked edges until she filled the present. 

"Her eyes," Bucky explained simply with a touch of embbaressment but Steve nodded, he understood what he meant. He always did. 

"Yeah, I guess I saw that too. She seemed scared. Hardened and tough though. You know, no one should look like that," Steve told him and Bucky couldn't look him in the eyes. He was about to apologize, find the right words to let Steve know how thankful he was for him. An alarm went off, sirens quickly alerting them, the sound loud and high. 

Bucky had his gun out before he knew what he was doing, back against the wall at the unexpected sound. Steve had jumped too, tensing as if to reach for his shield but he had realized what was happening before he overreacted. And now Bucky was tensed, and he slowly sunk into a crouch.He wished it was a relaxed pose but he was still ready, capable of springing up and at someone in an instant, his gun was still settled in his hands.

"Hey, Buck, hey," Steve started, lowering himself as well so that he could look him in the eyes. He sat before him, reaching out slowly to rest his hand on Bucky's foot. "I'm here."

Bucky's eyes found his, but his face was distant. He was waiting. His gun lowered, confused as Steve just waited, watied for him. And then Bucky stood, reaching down to help Steve up. Steve took his hand happily but stared down at his gun that he didn't move to put away.

"There was an alarm," Bucky explained and Steve nodded, realizing that he should probably keep it out. He went for his shield before heading out, Bucky right beside him to find out what exactly was going on, and if it was Stark playing a joke, he would kill him. If it was someone attacking, well, he would probably kill them too. It had been a while since he had to calm Bucky down and take his weapon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really rough, and not really edited, so if you are actually reading and think something doesn't make sense tell me! I'll go back through and fix it :D Thanks for reading!


	4. Stark Tower and the Avengers

This was not going as planned. Admittedly all of her plan was get in, get the information, and get out without anyone noticing but this was obviously not happening. Auria walked slowly, trying not to look conspicuous as the alarm went off once more. She had an ID card on her shirt, and a slightly startled look on her face as if she was rushing with the other workers to wherever they were supposed to go when there was an intruder alert. At least Auria assumed that's what this alarm meant since she was the intruder. 

Auria hadn't been able to force herself into wearing a lab coat, her skin had crawled at the sight of it, but there were guards in the building as well. She hoped no one would look twice at her plain clothes. A scarf was securely wrapped around her neck, hiding the bruise. Now she worked her way inward, passing through doors and taking the stairs instead of the elevators which she was pretty sure would lock down the minute she tried to use them. If Tony Stark didn't have facial recognition in his elevators then she would eat her own shoes. As it was she was pretty sure he had it everywhere because the minute she slipped past the guards and into the building an alarm had sounded. 

So far, no one had come after her though and she worked her way to where she hoped access to a computer was. She swerved out, looping her leg over the stairs railing and leaning over to where she could see how many levels were left and how wide it was. It was too narrow to fly up, but it looks as if the stairs would never end. She pulled herself back in with a huff, jogging up the steps. She stopped at a door hoping she wouldn't have to run up anymore stairs and darted out, back into a hallway and towards the labs. She tried to look as casual as she could while being unable to breathe but everywhere she looked were bright labcoats and gleaming metal surfaces that were making her tense up. It felt as if her skin wanted to up and crawl away without her at the sight that seemed far too familiar. 

The scientists were darting around but not to exit. They were working efficiently, evidently saving whatever they were working on was more important than an intruder. Whatever it was they were so focused on she was thankful for it because it was easy to duck into one of the dark labs and find one of the high tech boards. The lights came on as she entered but she hoped no one would notice in the mayhem. Her nerves were on edge as she stood in the bright light, open and exposed but it was to late to run now. 

"Die free," she whispered encouragingly, her new motto from a movie the boys had made her watch, and she plucked off her fake I.D. badge to swipe in the computer. Thanks to one super sixteen year old genius it flickered on and opened for her. She typed in the codes she had memorized, hoping that no one would interrupt. The table lit up, projecting upwards until floating before her was one dark skinned curly haired angel of a computer nerd chewing on her hot pink painted nails. 

"Auria!" Nudge exclaimed happily, waving and Auria smiled back. She raised an eyebrow and Nudge sighed, fingers already flying over whatever she had before her. Data and plans flew past too fast for Auria to understand but Nudge seemed to barely blink.

"Ooohh, he's good. I think I love Tony Stark," Nudge exclaimed and Auria just raised her eyebrows in question. She dropped her knife into her hand and turned halfway to watch the door.

"He had it set where even though you got this far, you really couldn't get into the system. Like, layers upon layers of computer code and so much information it is amazing. It makes it seem as if you are in, when really you are just on the surface. I wish I could talk to him! I don't even understand all of this!" Nudge exclaimed excitedly, and something new popped up. Numbers flew past, meaningless to Auria but Nudge giggled.

"So, can you do it or not, kid?" Auria asked and Nudge rolled her eyes. She popped her lip gloss before answering, her hands still moving.  
"Not a kid, and of course I can. Oh, he is funny too!" Nudge told Auria and she rubbed her temples. 

"Mr.Stark told me to say thank you for appreciating his humor," a cultured female voice told them out of nowhere and Auria froze, blood running cold in her veins as her eyes searched for who had spoken. She hadn't seen anyone enter but then it spoke again and she looked up to find speakers along the roof of the ceiling. 

"He also stated that he is quite impressed, although, stealing is wrong," it told them and Auria dove for the computer. Nudge's mouth had fallen open, eyes widened in fear but Auria was already moving.

"No! I should've known-" Nudge started but Auria cut her off.

"Take it! Go!" she shouted and Nudge started crying silently as she clicked off and left her to face them alone, taking whatever information she had gathered she with her. Auria yanked out her card, breaking it in half as the doors burst open. Nudge had faded but her voice took a moment longer as she screamed, "Max says-"

And then that too was gone and Auria was alone. Just one knife, a broken card, and herself against Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America, and the mystery soldier, James 'Bucky' Barnes.

"So, whose Max?" Tony Stark asked conversationally as he strolled in and Auria smiled politely at him, sheathing her knife and tucking her hands into her pockets. They all watched her carefully and expectantly as she opened her mouth to answer with a smile. 

"None of your damn business."

~<3~

 

She stood before them all alone, smile still in place as she tried to radiate confidence. Bucky could tell she was terrified. Her hands were clenched into fists in her pockets, and her shoulders were tense. Her eyes had moved, casually it would seem, but she was looking for any possible exits that she hadn't noticed before. There were none.

Tony laughed outright at her, to which she smiled again, but other than that everyone was silent. There they were talking about her and now she was before him again as if Bucky and Steve had summoned her. For some reason Bucky wanted to tell the others to move back and to give her space. To quit outnumbering her because he knew how that felt and he could see the panic growing in her eyes, but here she was breaking into the tower and stealing information. It wasn't her side he should be on. 

"Well, it is when it's my computer you hacked, my tower you broke into, and the information you are stealing is about my team," Tony told her, strolling forward. Bucky looked to Steve. He was the leader he should step in but Steve only moved over to lean against a table, letting Tony handle it. Bucky glared at him. Everyone knows that Tony Stark was not tactful. But it shouldn't matter, she broke in and for all intents and purposes she was the enemy. But he saw the way she flinched inwardly before standing straight and walking up to meet Tony. They were the same height and she stared him straight in the eyes not backing away from the cocky man. 

"Hello there, Mr. Stark, I'm afraid we haven't had the pleasure of meeting before. What a pleasant surprise to find you here," she told him sunnily and he grinned, crossing his arms as he tried to figure her out. 

"I like your attitude, but you are clearly outnumbered and you aren't tricking anyone. So, why don't you just tell us the truth?" Tony demanded and she clenched her jaw, the cheerfulness draining from her expression and leaving it hard. Wrong move. Her eyes flashed and he could feel the tension in the room as for the first time everyone realized she might be more dangerous than they had assumed. 

"No one has to get hurt here we just want to know what you are here for," Dr. Banner told her soothingly, stepping forward to ease the tension. His quiet demeanor and earnest personality almost always calms but when her eyes fell on him she stiffened, backing away a bit. Dr.Banner frowned, hurt by the way she watched him warily but he was used to it. 

"Sorry, Doc, hurting is what I'm good at," she told him coldly, and Steve finally moved to confront her.

"You aren't going to hurt anyone here, Miss," he told her and Bucky moved quickly to his side, knowing that yes, yes she would. When she saw him she backed off again and he was caught once again by her eyes and they stared at each other. They didn't move but it was almost as if they were two animals circling each other, sizing each other up. And they didn't like what they saw. 

"Hello, James Barnes," she whispered softly and it felt as if the air was knocked out of his chest. Steve turned to him in surprise, concerned at the way Bucky tensed before angrily turning back to face her. For some reason Bucky stepped forward first cutting him off, and Steve worriedly watched letting Bucky handle it when all he wanted to do was send Bucky somewhere safe. He stepped closer to her, moving in front of Steve, and she tensed more, unsure of what he was going to do. But she didn't move away.

"Who are you?" he asked her and her eyes flickered unsure. That wasn't what she was expecting. He understood that emotion all to well. 

"You should probably be asking what am I," she answered and he narrowed his eyes down at her grim countenance. 

"I know what you are, " he told her and her eyes widened in shock. She started trembling as he watched her, grey eyes trying to hide her fear but for the first time since he met her she wasn't hiding behind anything and he was almost stunned into speechlessness at the sight. 

"You are lost." 

She breathed out at his words, surprised but then her defenses were back up, a smirk on her face and her eyes were shuttered once more. She took a step back, eyes widening dramatically as she looked around as if for the first time.

"You are right! How did I ever get here?," she exclaimed and Bucky bit down the flare of dull anger he felt at her dismissal. 

"I'll just let myself out then! See y'all around boys," she told them, slapping Bucky on the back as she stepped around him before jauntily heading towards the door. Bucky froze at the contact, not wanting his reflexes to react badly but he was stunned to realize he was just surprised at the touch. 

Everyone froze in surprise as she jauntily saluted Steve with two fingers on her way past, eyes watching her in disbelief. 

"I really like her," Tony decided as the doors shut in front of her, blocking what seemed a very casual attempt to escape.

"Of course you would," Bruce told him softly, sighing as he leaned against a table out of the way. 

"You aren't going anywhere," Steve told her firmly, every inch of him Captain America after she had touched Bucky. She might not have known quite what that meant but Steve didn't care, "Now, you are going to quit evading." 

She punched the locked doors with her knuckles but it was half hearted as if she hadn't really expected to just walk out. She turned to face them, eyes flashing almost sulkily and for the first time Bucky wondered just how old she was. He knew she was young, but the way she held herself and the trouble in her eyes made her seems like such an old soul, almost ageless. 

But now, with her arms crossed and her lips pouting she seemed younger than he liked for someone with so much of a past. Steve's sad blue eyes met his for a moment and Bucky could tell he had seen the same thing before Steve turned back to her. Bucky noticed that he tried to relax out of soldier to put her at ease. 

"What's your name, Miss?" Steve asked her, going for friendly and her eyebrows rose. She snorted, rolling her eyes heavenward and everyone shifted awkwardly as she once again put them off.

"Miss. So, polite. I'm glad your stint in the Avengers hasn't corrupted you completely, Cap. Heard that happens around Stark and I would hate to have the last drop of chivalry die since everyone believes it has," she told them, trailing off as her fingers idly tapped on the wall ignoring Rogers' baffled look. Her eyes traveled across the group, noting Stark's haggard face and the shadows under Banner's eyes. She must have interrupted them in the middle of something important. It didn't seem as if they had been sleeping well.

"Just out of curiosity, when did you know I was in the building?" she asked Stark and he grinned at her from out of his dark beard. He was enigmatic, bustling with energy in a way that reminded her of the flock. His maturity seemed to be about there as well she mused as he bounced on the balls of his feet at the question.

"Oh, immediately," he answered her, for once pausing instead of heading into a wild explanation. He watched her intently, almost testing her to see if she would know the answer.

"Guessing its the AI. Facial recognition throughout the entire building, Mr. Stark?" she answered, annoyed at how pleased she felt when he grinned at her impressed. The Captain seemed annoyed at their banter, once again off topic but she couldn't help but find his faint exasperation endearing. Captain America seemed earnest, open, and direct. But that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous, just very... sweet? She internally rolled her eyes at herself at the thought, lips twisting ruefully. 

"Alright, Steve, you can calm it down," she told him and his blue eyes found hers intensely. She suddenly regretted her choice to needle him but backing down wasn't really her style. If you are going to cross a line, might as well do it spectacularly. She straightened up, saluting firmly and Steve's jaw clenched. Barnes was still where she left him and though he was quiet now she could never dismiss his presence. Instead he was a dark shadow always at the edge of her vision, and her body was always aware of the predator lurking. She saw and nearly felt him stiffen as well.

"Sorry, yes, sir, Captain Rogers, sir. Steve was way too forward of me" she told him apologetically, and she saw the annoyed glint in his eyes. She had seen this expression many times before. He was so done with her. So, was Barnes it seemed and she was relieved that he was staying away. He had gotten close, way to close, and left her vulnerable. At first she had thought he really knew about the Experiments, about what they made her, but then his words had hit even closer to home, loosing whatever pain was always in her chest.

It had taken a moment for her to flare up and push him back to whatever distance it was that she kept everyone else. Her nerves had buzzed, nearly shaking her to pieces as she slapped his shoulder and her skin had crawled when she had strolled away as if waiting for his attack. He was dangerous, completely and in every way, and yet she always was a bit stupid. She had to be dismissive, make her point and so she had acted as if he was just like everyone else, making a joke before trying to head to the door. She had slightly hoped the shock would give her time to make it out before she could run for an exit but the doors had shut in front of her face, locking with an almost silent snick. 

She turned back to face them annoyed, skin starting to crawl at actually be locked in. There were no outside windows here, no other doors, and even the vents were small and thin, controlled by the intelligent computer system. She assumed they could gas her if they really wanted to, but their aim was to discover her intentions not just kill her.  
Now she was locked into a room with a super soldier, a crazy billionaire, and a freaking lab coat. And whatever Barnes was. She was pretty sure he didn't even know.  
She bantered mindlessly, probably pushing the wrong buttons considering she was now a hostage, but she couldn't help herself as she tried to think of an escape. First, she needed to get out of this room and she needed them to unlock the doors before that was happening. 

"Tony," Steve said, almost pleading as he turned to the man to handle whatever was happening with her. It seemed he thought Tony and her spoke the same language and she grinned when Stark smirked in his direction.

"What, Spangles? She is quite right, I mean you just met. You don't even know her name, and you are the epitome of chivalry. Maybe it hasn't been dead after all, just on ice," Stark told her, winking when she fought down a laugh.

"Look, what's the worst that she can do, she is outnumbered, outmatched, and no offense, kid, but really Cap you could probably take her by yourself. So, no one is willing to talk while in here, Banner is about to drop, and everyone else is on edge. I want some caffeine. What about everyone else?" he asked gesturing around and Banner huffed amused at him. Captain rubbed his forehead as if fighting off a headache but he didn't protest.

"Come on, lets move this party to the kitchen," Tony told them and the doors opened obediently behind her. She glared up at the ceiling, somehow trying to show the computer her displeasure when Tony moved to walk past her. She turned, not letting him behind her back and she noticed the edges of his eyes crinkle for a moment as he noticed, his face suddenly serious and far too intelligent as he looked at her with what could have been sympathy before his charm was back again. She wondered if she had just seen the real face of the superhero behind the playboy. 

"State of the art coffee room for breaks, scientists live on coffee, but the break room can also whip up anything from the state of the art kitchen facilities," Tony explained wandering off down the hall. He certainly wasn't good at this prisoner thing she thought. But he didn't really have to be she added as she turned to see that Captain America remained in the center of the room, alert eyes on her. 

Bucky Barnes still stood next to the table, slightly slouched now in a way that didn't display relaxation at all. More hunched, like an animal trying to protect itself or look smaller and harmless. It was not working. Banner moved across the room, giving her a small smile that she didn't really notice as he passed by, careful not to get to close. She held her breath as he walked after Tony, rubbing the back of his neck as his white coat swayed around him. 

"After you, Miss," Steve told her, gesturing for her to proceed him politely but he was firm. It wasn't quite a demand but she still bristled. She straightened quickly, turning smartly to walk after the others, heading towards the only door still lit up bright. Through the glass walls on the labs she noted they had been emptied. The silence around them was only broken by the soft hum of machinery and the sound of Tony moving around in the break room.

She heard the footsteps behind her, solid and careful to keep a constant pace that matched hers. He was careful not to alarm her, but kept close enough that he could grab her arm and she fought the urge to snap angrily at him. Barnes was following, she could feel his eyes, but his footsteps were silent. She walked willfully, as if she wasn't in their control and doing exactly what they told her too, but her eyes were roving, searching for a way out. The labs were all close off from the outside, secure work areas. No where to go. If she ran it would be child's play for them to catch her. 

She entered the break room sulkily, nearly gasping in relief at the large window that spanned the entire back wall, and nodded appreciatively at the large espresso Tony now held before him instead. She tried not to stare at the window but if anyone noticed she had relaxed a bit she hoped they assumed it was just the sight of outside.  
They were high, way to far to worry about her jumping out a window of course. Auria grinned at the thought wandering over to stare out the glass as if interested in the view. She tapped the glass, testing the thickness and keeping her frown internal when she felt how thick it was. She turned to accept the offered coffee, having watched their reflections. 

"Quite the view, of course, better from the top. So, since everyone is all prickly and temperamental what do you want to tell us? I'm sure we'll get around to getting what you don't want to tell us but this will go quicker the longer you cooperate," Tony told her and her eyes slightly narrowed.

"Hmm, world's righteous superheroes threaten a poor young girl with torture. How scandalous," she told him, taking a sip of the coffee and glancing at the others. Steve seemed bothered, tightening his strong jaw and frowning slightly but Barnes was indecipherable. Banner had taken off his coat, folding it over a chair and now that he wasn't wearing it Auria noted his button down shirt tucked in and the way he nervously fixed his glasses on his face. Without it, he almost seemed like a puppy, watching her for a sign of acceptance but she still looked away. 

"Oh, not torture, that would be Nat. She is away at the moment so we would resort to waiting for the Maximoff kid. Sweet girl, creepy mind control thing. She's busy right now but I'm sure we could find you a room," Tony told her and her eyes narrowed at him, losing all signs of nonchalance. He seemed startled and Auria tried to fight down the look she knew was predatory. She turned away but not before noting Tony and Steve sharing a look, clearly taking in this knew side of her. 

"So, do these things open? I would suffocate in here with all of these wonderful science experiments and glass cells" she asked, banking on her random question to seem as if she was deflecting when in fact it was the most important thing she had said. 

"They could but really, when people try to kill you as often as they do us its a pretty good idea to keep your home safe. You'd think we weren't nice and friendly like," Tony told her and she made a face at him. So had Steve.

"So, what am I willing to tell you? All sorts of things I suppose. I have a fondness for chocolate, I am straight up addicted to any kind of iced coffee, I have a penchant for annoying people, my favorite color has to be blue although black is a nice alternative. I can eat about anything, I am five eight, and my astrology sign is a Leo," Auria rattled off quickly, noting their surprised and then annoyed expressions. She was surely using up even Tony's store of amusement, and she strode over to the counter to place her coffee mug down. And then, before stopping for breathe she let her knife fall into her palm and turned to fling it at the window, the blade barely scratching the surface. 

It got their attention though and suddenly Tony's suit was encasing his hands, the palms glowing in preparation of a fight. Barnes had moved quickly, but stopped his first instinct of protecting Steve when he had caught sight of the knife's path. Then he had turned to her, moving to stop her if she had another weapon. Steve on the other hand had pulled his shield over from where it had been sitting on his back. Barnes moved swiftly and easily, wrapping his flesh hand around her wrist and twisting her arm behind her back. But she had expected this. 

She turned with the motion kicking up jamming her knee into his side. He jerked at the impact but didn't loosen his hold. His face didn't seem to register the attack and she cursed as she saw the distant look in his eyes. She twisted anyway, using her surprising strength to drag his arm down and forcing him to step forward. Steve moved in, diving into the fight and she cursed as his strong hands pinned her arms to her side. But her eyes still fell on the shield, now in reach. She jerked back, feeling Captain America's nose crunch from the impact and causing her vision to flicker. 

Then she went dead weight, dragging him down. Barnes moved to secure her, but she slipped down and rolled away. They seemed unwilling to use force but she didn't have that luxury. She leapt up, twisting in air to kick at Captain. But to his surprise it wasn't aimed at him, but at hooking her toes around the edge of his shield to send him falling forward. Barnes was on her in an instant, wrapping his hand in her hair as he pulled back, just enough pressure to cause her to lift her head up in pain and effectively ending whatever attack she had planned. But she was used to pain and so she gritted her teeth and yanked, feeling the strands rip from her scalp with a groan.

His grip reflexively tightened at first and then released quickly in horror, letting her drop towards where Captain was on his knees. She grabbed his shield, twisting it in front of him and then using it to leap over him, putting him between her and Barnes. It seemed the others had left the soldiers to handle this, trusting their strength to quickly subdue her but now they were watching in surprise at her holding her own. Banner stood by, anxiously watching and she was pretty sure he wouldn't pull out the big guns just for her. Tony on the other hand was deciding whether or not he was willing to crisp her and he was about to decide. 

She slid her remaining knife out of its sheath at her back. It was hidden from sight, in between her wings and the tight shirt that smoothed out the shape, and her leather jacket that sloped over to hide that as well. Now everyone froze as she held the knife to Captain America's throat. She gulped in fear, hoping that this would really really work because there was no way they were holding back now. Hurting her would be fine now that she had threatened someone, especially their leader. Barnes moved closer and she immediately regretted her decision to threaten Steve Rogers as he stalked forward dangerously, murder emanating from him like a cold wave.

"Stop," she ordered, her voice steady as she gently pressed the very edge against the Captains throat. She kept her thumb against the blade, unwilling to actually kill him even if it was her only option, but she was willing to shed a few drops of blood. A single drop welled up, but it was all that was needed to stop Barnes in his tracks, his blue eyes steel hard as he stared at the single red bead on the edge of her blade. Stark slightly lowered his hands and she weighed her options now that they were all out to kill her. Of course, she would get the most advanced team of super humans out for her. Why couldn't she just make friends for once? 

"Sir, there is something wrong, no, there is someone, sir, I cannot stop-," came the voice from earlier, slightly panicking as it tried to explain before cutting out completely. Relief flooded through her as Tony Stark turned to the cuffs on his arms, trying to frantically stop whatever was happening but he was too late. The window was opening. She had been hoping that she could wrangle the shield away, which was desperately stupid, and use it to break the windows but now she nearly sobbed in relief as wind blasted through the room, lifting her hair from her skin. 

"I am sorry about this," she apologized to the man in front of her before shoving him hard as she removed her blade. She took the moment of confusion to dart away, leaping over the blast that came from Stark's glove but she felt it singe the skin of her calf. Barnes was quick, but he wasn't interested in her. He caught Steve immediately, hands moving to make sure his throat was intact, that his pulse was strong, that he was alive. 

Certain of him, he turned to find her, hands not moving away from Captain's skin. He caught her eyes as she turned, fury burning his veins and cooling his face in a way that made no sense until he met her eyes. The tears he found there hit him like a punch to the gut, throwing him into a state of muddled emotions that hurt as they battered against his mind. Steve was breathing calmly before him, and moved to stop her as she casually stepped back out of the open window.

"No!' Steve screamed, diving forward to grab her but she was gone. Tony leapt, quickly following her into a dive out the window, his suit armoring him on the way down. Bucky and Steve moved together, almost in sync as they moved to the window. Banner coming around to watch as well. They stared in shock as up swooped wide storm grey wings, framing the girl. Her hair was lose, wild around her as her wings strongly beat the air, carrying her past their window in a flash. And then Tony was behind her, helmet opening as he shouted at them as he passed.

"Wings! She has fucking wings!!'" 

Bucky watched her climb, faster than he could believe but still slow in comparison to Stark. Even though, she was ahead of him, jacket gone and arms by her side. And then she dove, quickly closing her wings and letting gravity and momentum carry her towards the ground faster than his eyes could almost follow and his breathing stopped. Her wings opened with a snap at what seemed like the very last moment, stopping her from hitting the ground and she twisted around a corner, darting out of sight and through the buildings so low Tony could barely follow. 

"She is gone guys, I don't know what happened! She must of landed somewhere and slid through a building, I can't find her anywhere," Tony told them over the speaker. They all stood together, speechlessly staring as Iron Man returned, obviously still in disbelief. He looked at all of them deliberately before opening his mouth and then closing it.

"Speechless? Didn't think I'd see the day," Steve joked but, it was full of wonder as well. Instead of returning the barb Tony only stared at him for a moment before answering.

"Wings."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kudos! I really appreciate it, and so, new chapter! Thanks :D


	5. A Monster?

Auria had stepped from the window in relief, dashing the inexplicable tears from her eyes before pulling her jacket off and sliding her knife into her arm sheathe. She let the scarf fall from her neck without a second look, it felt to much like a collar. That's when she felt someone behind her. She twisted in shock to find Tony Stark descending, armor encasing his arms and chest. The rest was following and she took a moment to appreciate that she wouldn't have to be saving any stupid soldiers, that was tempered in disbelief that Tony Stark had just jumped out of the window for her. But what can you expect from a hero?

She twisted around, stretching her wings open for the first time to slow her fall and then tilting them, letting the air lift her until she was rising turning the dive into flight. She thrust hard, passing Stark on his way down and she took a moment to wish that she could've seen the look behind the mask now on his face. He did stall in the air, the thrusters stopping as he turned around to watch her soar past him. She faced forward with a grin, quickly rising with a surge of adrenaline as she heard him follow.

She hadn't expected the need to out maneuver Iron Man in the air. She rose quickly, breaking away from the building and looking back to see him on her tail. There was no way she could out fly him, her flesh and bone wings could only go so fast unlike Max's. He was also nimble in his thin suit and her eyes narrowed as she looked around, closing her wings in a snap decision to pick up speed. She soared back toward the earth, the wind whooshing around her and making her bones sing with joy in a single moment of absolute freedom.

She opened them quickly, curving her wings to lift her horizontal and carry her towards an alley. Her wings could barely fit but she could hear Iron Man behind her, barely fazed by her daring dive. She twisted quickly, rolling her left wing in a quick maneuver that sent her shooting down another road but she knew it would be easy for him to follow. She rose once more, crossing the store before turning once again, trying to throw him off. Once out of his sight she dropped quickly, tucking in her wings tight as she hit the ground, her momentum too fast to run off and so she rolled.

Then she stood up and ducked into a coffee shop, startling a customer that had seen her fall out of the sky. People turned to stare at her disheveled appearance and she returned the stares that varied from curious to slightly hostile with a grin. Then she strode forward, moving quickly through the chairs to the back door, sliding a jacket off of the back of someone's chair and throwing it over her shoulders easily.

Then she moved out the door, ignoring the teenage employers small noise of disapproval, and strode confidently down the street, keeping under the eaves and close to the buildings. People moved through the street, making it easy to disappear as she next went into a supermarket and slid the jacket over her arms.

The smell of smoke made her wrinkle her nose but otherwise it was fine, a jean jacket that had obviously belonged to someone much larger than her. She had planned this escape route before hand when she had thought it a possibility she would make it out on foot and now she moved with purpose before catching sight of herself in the reflective surface of the dairy section.

Her eyes were wide in her pale face, hair wild and tangled around her head. The jacket made her seem smaller, like a child trying to pretend to be a grownup and she felt the hilt of her blade on her forearm. She looked ordinary, just a wild teenager sent to pick up groceries. Not like a monster.

She felt the tears bubble up with the insane urge to laugh, the bitter bark bursting out of her before turning into a sob. It was quickly cut off but she shook slightly as she cried silently, staring at herself above a row of yogurt and eggs. She had just threatened Captain America. She remembered the look in Bucky Barnes' eyes.

Before and after, once so blue and confrontational as if he could see something in her behind her lame jokes and defensive posturing. The second time devoid of anything except hate as she held a knife to his best friends throat. And yet she didn't really know him, that wasn't exactly what bothered her the most.

It was the way she could see the pain emanate him, and the way he held himself so tense as if to hold himself back. He was scared of himself and she had pushed him right back into whatever it was he didn't want to be. He had moved effortlessly, everything shut down. Except for the knowledge to kill. He was an assassin. Better trained than anything that The Institute had done and that was saying something. What had happened to Bucky Barnes?

She wiped the tears away with the edge of her new coat, finding the cloth hood that she hadn't noticed and tugging it up over her face. She slipped her hands in the pockets to find a lighter and some gum wrappers. She threw the wrappers away as she passed a trash can, but hesitated before tossing in the silver lighter.

It was heavy and rectangular, some design on it that she couldn't make out and she slid it back into her pocket, cradling it in her palm as she left the store and moved to walk to the library eight blocks away. It had free Wi-Fi and she had a few bird kids she needed to talk to, and one very chatty teenager to thank.

 

　~<3~

　

The minute Tony had uttered wings once more Bruce had descended into science babble that Tony was all to eager to respond too. They went back in forth, growing more excited as they discussed aerodynamics and the possibilities of other avian attributes sense she was obviously able to fly.

"She has to be light, her bones can't be as heavy as a normal human-"

"But she was physically strong, they weren't weak at all since she obviously took our soldiers over there, really a little girl, Cap? And they were fully functional, you should've seen her take that turn-"

"They were more than functional, at the speed she was going most avians would be-"

Their discussion was lost as they exited the room, Tony already bringing up charts and facts and commanding his AI to open one lab specifically for them. Steve and Bucky were left together, content with silently looking at each other in equal parts consternation, astonishment, and apprehension. Bucky felt the need to go after her, but for some reason he wasn't sure for what. He had been ready to kill her. Without a second thought.

"You okay, Buck?" Steve finally asked and Bucky let out a small breath of air that was almost a silent sigh but wasn't. Steve gave him a small smile, reaching out for him. Bucky stayed still, letting him move to squeeze his shoulders and accepting the touch before his eyes fell on the small scratch on Steve's neck and he frowned. Steve was almost disturbed at the look on his friend's face but when he saw the look it wasn't the murderous intent from before.

That was barely there on the surface, trying to hide the swirling ache of pain and confusion that caused Steve's heart to break. He stopped himself from pulling him into a hug and merely brought his hand up to the grab his head instead. He pressed his palm to his temple, fingers lightly curling around his head like they used to do when they were younger and pressed their foreheads together whenever Steve was too sick to talk above a whisper. Steve grinned down at the man whom he had always had to look up to.

"It's okay, Bucky," Steve reassured him, and Bucky smiled at him. He had been saying that an awful lot here recently, ever since he had taken him home. The feeling of his skin pressed against his caused him to shiver at the contact, not used to physical contact of any kind unless it caused pain, but it was a kind touch that brought him back to the present, and pushed the emotions away. The fear, the uneasiness, and the pain was only a memory but it seemed to be his constant companions until Steve pulled him back to reality.

"I'm okay," Steve repeated firmly.

"I know, punk," Bucky told him and Steve laughed, letting his hand drop and turning away. He paused for Bucky to decide if he wanted to come. He made sure to always give him a choice, to be careful to never order Bucky and he was so relieved but he would always be willing to go with Steve. He moved up to his side and they walked together, like they used to, like they should.

"Wings," Steve breathed, almost wearily this time as he rubbed the back of his neck. Bucky understood. Once his best friend being turned into a super soldier had been the most startling thing in his world, and even that had made sense. Steve being a selfless super human was nothing new, no matter what they put in him to make him more durable but now every time they turned around something else came along to shake their world.

"Sam is going to be so envious," Bucky told him and he watched Steve crack a grin through his worry at the thought of telling his friend. Bucky smiled, relieved that Steve had someone that could make him smile. It seemed like Bucky could only wear his smile away. No matter how many times Steve smiled at him he could sense how tired he was. Bucky hated that he caused it but no matter how much he tried his past did not let him go. He was no longer the man that Steve remembered, that Bucky wanted to be.

Even now, the name seemed to belong to a man long dead, loosely belonging to him because it made Steve happy. He wasn't sure how much of Bucky he could remember. It was coming back to him, but it didn't change who he had become. Who he was now. Bucky bit down the whimper as the pain came back, the memories almost overwhelming. The blood overwhelming.

"Buck?" Steve asked, sensing his change and Bucky tried to fight it away but it wouldn't go. He merely shook his head, feeling himself sink as fear struck. You were supposed to listen. You answered when spoken to or something bad would happen.

"Hey, you wanna go to the room?" Steve asked him, but Bucky felt confused at the question. It wasn't suppose matter what he wanted, he did as he was told. But that was then, and he was here with Steve and so he nodded through his confusion, cringing on the inside. Steve just nodded, walking back to their room and letting Bucky follow at his own pace. They passed Tony and Bruce, loud music now blaring out of the lab and the sight made Bucky look away quickly. But the music belonged here to two men he was growing to respect and so he straightened, focusing on Steve leading him away.

He sat on the floor instead of his bed, pressing his back to the wall and drawing his knees up as he watched Steve wander around. He turned on some music that didn't have any lyrics and then came to sit beside Bucky with his sketchpad. He didn't touch him but he smiled at him before idly drawing the edges of wings. He turned the page before really setting to draw, the tension draining out of him as he sat to work shaping an upturned face surrounded by wild hair.

Bucky relaxed beside him, legs sliding down until one barely touched Steve's. Steve didn't acknowledge the touch, almost making it easier, and instead just tilted the pad to silently ask for Bucky's opinion.

"Her neck was longer," he commented and Steve nodded, lengthening it slightly before turning it into her shoulders covered in only her tank top.

Bucky relaxed, watching him draw, occasionally commenting on something but not much. Steve was great at noting detail, in a way that was surely from an artist and not just a super soldier serum. Bucky wondered if the girl was alone now or if she had someone beside her as well, calming her after the storm. The tears in her eyes somehow reached him deeper than he had expected. Perhaps because he could see the regret there, the unwillingness to hurt, and he had felt that same emotion.

 

"She was smiling, just a little," Bucky told him, remembering her soaring past the window, with wide beautiful wings. She had been free.


	6. Auria's Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Auria contacts the Flock, only to find herself in a bit of a situation.

Auria was shaken after almost being caught, she could admit that. She didn't want to but after the fifth time she looked around after feeling someone watching her and had seen nothing she had to admit it. The farther away from the tower she got the better she expected to feel, but so far the feeling of being followed had just grown. 

It didn't seem as if the Avengers had sent anyone after her, other than Iron Man of course, and she had expected them too. But really, now they had her face. With Tony Stark's computer system and influence, anywhere there was a camera they could find her at any time. No need to at this moment she supposed, since they could easily find how much information she had retrieved. Then, if it was dangerous and she was a priority they could always find her later. Unless they were following her and being secretive about it. Not really their style, not unless Romonoff and Barton had suddenly returned. 

She ran up the library steps, looking around for followers and not seeing anything out of the ordinary on the busy street before going in. She smiled at the friendly librarian, walking purposly towards the computers. The librarian didn't come to offer her help sense she seemed to know where she was going. Auria had actually been here before as well, noting the place was somewhere she could get free internet and it was far enough away from the tower. There was enough room to watch the people around her, and to maneuver if necessary but for now she walked to the computer she had previously chosen, relieved to find the area mostly empty. Only one other desk was taken, a younger teen with greasy hair playing some kind of game. He didn't even glance up at her as she passed, focusing instead on a dragon now roaring on screen. 

She sat at the computer, clicking on it to bring the screen to life as she leaned back in her chair to watch her exit. Right where she remembered it was a thick metal door, red bar and caution signs alerting the library goers to its purpose during a fire. She had figured if she needed to run, the alarm wouldn't do too much damage. She sat her chair back down as it loaded, typing in the website that Nudge had told her would get her attention. She snorted as she typed in the words I love Boy Bands with no spaces and a heart, the password Nudge's favorite lipgloss flavor. 

Nudge's face immediatly popped up, quickly crowded out by a young blonde boys, Gazzy, and then Max's as she shoved him out of the way. The blonde girl was watching her sternly, not minding that she was actually a year older than her. It was just her way.

"Auria, report," Max ordered and Auria raised her eyebrows at her. Max rolled her brown eyes, acknowledging her sass. 

"I made it into the builidng, card was inserted but the information download was interrupted. I ejected the card and broke it as instructed. Was escorted by some very handsome and angry men to another room, where they informed me I was suppose to tell them what my intentions were. Of course I politely refused. And that is when that lovely genius saved my feathers, thanks Nudge," Auria told the girl peaking around Max. Her dark eyes glittered as she grinned at Auria happily, giving her a thumbs up since Max had quickly placed a hand over her mouth to stop whatever was going to spill out. Once she started talking, she would have trouble shutting up.

"Injuries?" Max asked and Auria gave her a crooked grin. 

"Probably bruised something from Captain America and Seargent Barnes, they cannot be made out of just muscle, they are crazy strong, anyway, and a small burn courtesy of Iron Man, but Banner kept the Hulk in check so I would consider myself lucky," Auria reported back to her and watched Max's eyes widen in surprise, slightly satisfied at the awe there. Sometimes it was good to remember that Max was young and impressed just like everyone else. She was too resposible all of the time. A squeal interrupted whatever question Max was just about to ask and Nudge popped up in front of her, close to the screen. Her curls almost blocked out everything else and Auria smiled at her.

"You met them all! Ohmagash, I love them so much, they are superheros!" Nudge exclaimed.

"I noticed," Auria replied drily but the younger girl didn't notice.

"I mean was Tony just as funny in person? And was Captain America super handome? You said he was muscly, how much did yOU TOUCH HIM!?!?!" She squealed again and Auria lunged to turn the speaker down, noticing a few dirty looks thrown her way from people browsing the shelves.

"Shhhh, I am in a library!" Auria told her, but the girl was beside herself. Max placed a palm on Nudge's face and shoved her away before laughing as she immediatly kept talking. She turned to ambush Gazzy, the blonde boy seemingly terrified as she rounded on him with all kinds of trivia. How in the world did the girl know what kind of underwear they bought!?

"Did she get it?" Auria asked Max, finally asking the question that really mattered and Max's frown stalled her heart.

"Most of it, we didn't get deep enough. Not enough time. But we definitly know that their labs are far more advanced then anything we've seen and it seems as if ITEX isn't involved in Stark Industries. As far as we know," Max told her grimly and Auria nearly growled in frustration. She leant her elbows on the desk, rubbing her forehead.

"Am I going back in?" Auria asked and Max frowned at her. 

"Of course not, you didn't exactly blow the popsicle stand conspicuously did you? The only thing more flamboyant than flying away with Iron Man on your tail would be if you had been waving a rainbow flag and singing like a canary," Max told her and Auria felt a rush of either annoyance or fondness for the other girl, but she couldn't decide which. 

"Seen that?" she asked instead and Max tilted her head in Nudge's direction.

"Yeah, she got back in, just enough to work the building. She said it was easy compared to getting the information but it was your knife that let us know where you were. Nice job, knife against alien invasion resistent glass. Smart on your feet," Max prodded her and Auria realized she had been comfortable with Tony's attitude because of the small bundle of sass that now mocked her.

"You know, all in a days work. Break into a secure facility alone, face the Avengers, escape, I mean not to be modest but I think I did okay, Maximum Ride," Auria told her, dragging out and enunciating her name in the way that always made the blonde grit her teeth.

"I told you I would have came, and I've broken into my fair share of secure facilities. Your escape was going splendidly, if you consider being held hostage your definition of splendid," Max was retorting snarkily when her expression changed, her eyes going to focus on something behind Auria. Her eyes hardened, mouth twisting. 

Auria leapt to her feet, darting aside just in time to miss the blow aimed at the back of her head. Auria struck out quickly, punching the woman in the face and kicking her away. She fell with a surprised oomph and Auria quickly moved to dissconnect her computer. 

"Gotta go," Auria told Max who was about to reply when Auria clicked off, deleting the history between glances behind her. She didn't think Nudge would leave traces back to them, but better safe than rotisseried bird kids. Somone lunged out of the bookshelves and Auria grabbed the monitor, flinging it at them. It crashed with a spark of electricity. That should be extra safe she thought with a smirk, thinking about them trying to retrieve information from the shattered pieces. And then she looked back at the computer tower with a sigh. Wrong part. 

"Oops," she told it, before lifting it as well and tossing it against the wall. It shattered on impact and the remaining bystander stood gaping at her inhuman strength. Auria gave him a casual wave, moving to the emergency door as she saw more people heading towards her. Their eyes were focused on her and their intent was clearly not to tell her to pay for the computer. Except for the startled libraraian, who was turning an awful shade of purple.

"Sorry!" Auria called out to her, waving before shoving against the fire exit. An alarm started screaming as she darted outside, running down the alley and around the side. Directly into someones fist. She gasped in pain as it made contact with her stomach, knocking all of the air out of her. 

Then someones hand was in her hair, pulling her head up to look into a pair of dark eyes. They were nearly black but were quickly turning yellow and she kneed him in the crotch. He took a deep gasp of agony, releasing her as he hunched over around his middle and she then kneed him in the head, knocking him out cold.

Where were all of them coming from? Auria nearly screamed in frustration when she looked back to see four pursuers pour out of the library and there seemed to be another one waiting for her around the corner. 

She ran. There were way too many, and although she was strong, she was an avian american and her strength laid with flying not facing down five on one. She was fast, faster than an average human on acount of her advanced strength and lung capacity, but her pursuers weren't average. Or all that human. She had to dodge a grasping hand, pulling the fabric of her jacket out of its grasp by nearly doubling over and darting to the left and into traffic. Horns and screeching tires heralded her escape, soon followed by curses, but she didn't dare look back to see if they followed. She leapt onto the hood of a car that didnt stop in time, sliding across with an exhilerated grin. 

Then she fell off with a thump and an oomph when it abruptly stopped. She landed in front of it, getting bumped hard as it didn't come to a stop in time and she slapped the hood. She groaned as of course, her cool moment was ruined. She flipped the angry driver off, limping away with a glance behind to see a hulking brute of a man quickly gaining on her. She ran, ignoring the pain in her leg. She was across the street, losing any sense of direction except for away, away, away. She darted down another street, wondering if she could risk taking to the air. She was already caught on camera, she had to leave anyway, but still if she was in the air Tony Stark would know about it in seconds. Was that the worst thing? 

She ran down an alley, considering her options and panting as exhaustion was finally catching up to her, to find her exit blocked by two growling figures that had somehow gotten ahead of her. She slid to a tired stop, pressing off of the wall to turn back the way she came but the other end was filled with the other three just in time to block her escape. She moaned aloud at the sight of them, leaning against the wall and casually crossing her arms as if it was a show to show them she didn't care about their approach, instead of an attempt to steady her breathing.

"Really? You need five of you? I know I have a reputation but really," she goaded them as they came closer and she lowered her head to hide the way her eyes were evaluating how to kill them. She started to turn cold, focusing in on escape when the nearest one spoke.

"Infamous, thats the word. Don't worry, It'll be a pleasure taking you in. Or apart, whichever happens first," he told her with a vicious sneer, and she focused in on him. He had light hair, flopping over his eyebrows and he seemed young. If it wasn't for the manic gleam in his eyes at the thought of tearing her apart, or the built muslces that seemed to be twitching underneath his skin, he wouldn't have seemed dangerous. But then again, neither did she.

She smiled at him, her eyes lighting up, and he seemed to shift back at the sight, realizing that he probably shouldn't have singled himself out. She was going to make sure she took him down first. She didn't wait for them to attack her, leaping on him instead and taking them by surprise. They always thought that she would shrink away. She moved from lounging into motion quickly, lunging for the boy that had spoke and for a moment no one else moved. Her fist hit him in the throat before he could flinch away, her full force sending him to the ground with his eyes rolling.

She turned, gripping the one beside him, a woman, and shoving her shoulders as her foot kicked the legs out from in under her, but she wasn't finished. As she went down Auria threw her into another one, tripping him up as he tried to attack. Auria kicked him in the temple, effectively knocking him unconscious. Soon the alley was full of flailing, but it was too close to really surround her once she had started moving and with three down or distracted the other two backed away, for the first time afraid. All it took was her knife descending into her hand to send one running, her cold fury turning on the last one alone to send him after. 

But then the one she had merely tripped grabbed her legs, pulling her down and clmibing up her with a snarl. Auria screamed as she fell, twisting to get away from the shifting woman but its claws dug through her clothes. She popped her elbow back, trying to hit whatever she could and she heard something pop followed by a scream. Auria took advantage of her pain to roll, getting on top in time to hit her in the temple with the hilt of her knife. She was out cold, still half shifted, the ruby red hair turning into coarse fur on her face. The half finished transition was an awful sight.

At Auria's scream the others had returned, finding courage in her fear. She glared at them, baring her inneffective teeth in anger as the smaller one tried to get her now that she was wounded. The other one had circled around her, unnoticed in her struggle with the woman, and now grabbed her from behind, lifting her off of her knees. Auria kicked furiously but now the coward that had returned punched her in the face, sending her head snapping to the side and making her ears ring. She straightened up with a glare, but now the other one took his turn to punch her in the stomach. She retched at the impact, agony radiating from the impact, body curling on its own accord. 

As she rolled foward the one holding her moved as her weight shifted and she dropped her feet as if listless. She ignored their catcalls and taunts, focusing on breathing and pushing away the pain. And then she struck. She dug her feet into the ground before shoving off with all of the energy she had left, driving her skull into the one holding her's face. He screamed and she maliciously hoped that she had broken his nose as she dropped, unable to stand and wrenching out of his hold at the same time. Her eyes found the exit of the alley but for a moment her body didn't respond to her attempt to flee.

Then she jerked up, lurching as she got to her feet to run only to be wrenched around. Furious at his hand at her arm she twisted closer to his surprise, and snapped his arm back towards him in a way it wasn't supposed to. His scream was high pitch as it broke. She let him fall away from her but then the other one slammed her against the wall, holding down her arms and finding his courage. She found his eyes with her own, noting the animilstic craze that seemed to control him as his teeth snapped in her direction. His hot breath made her skin shiver in revulsion, and for a moment she was a child again, hunkering in a corner as they let the Erasers punish her. Fangs always reminded her not to fail. 

She dug her teeth into the flesh at his shoulder, ignoring his shrieks until she felt the blood in her mouth. She ignored his jerking and flailing as he slammed her back against the wall, sending pain ricocheting through her skull as it hit the bricks. She spat out what blood had made it into her mouth as she realeased him, and he jerked away from her clutching his wound. She slumped down the wall without him holding her up, the world spinning as she fought to remain upright but she forced herself to straighten. The two remaining backed away, cradling their respective wounds and leaving the others in the alley. They could have taken her with barely a fight now, a bite and a broken arm nothing in comparison to how she felt, but she remained standing and glaring until they disappeared.

Only then did she slump down, spitting out the foul taste in her mouth and moved down the alley away from where they had run. She used the wall for support before making it to the end and looked around trying to figure out where she was. Where to go. She had no place to return to, and no one was waiting for her. She felt forlorn for a moment, lost. 

She laughed out loud when she looked over to see the Avengers tower merely a block away. Well, they had said they wanted to keep her alive. And for some reason out here the Erasers were searching for her in force and they were indecisive in their decision to keep her whole. The Avengers at least wanted to keep her alive. Not quite sure what she was doing or why Auria took off her jacket, folding it into her side that she only now realized was bleeding, and then weakly took to the sky.  
They were the earth's mightiest heroes. What's the worst that could happen?


	7. Assasin's Care

Auria dropped onto the roof, sluggishly folding her wings behind her and moving foward to touch the glass door when she realized she didn't even know how to get in. It opened at her touch and she blinked in surprise and at the blood smeared on the glass. She frowned at it, wondering if she should wipe it off but decided against it when she felt the way her arms trembled, before entering and walking through what seemed to be Tony Stark's private entrance. She put the blood slicked jacket on once more, grunting at the effort, and pressed her hand against her side. She moved quickly, breathing evenly despite her pain.

It didn't seem like it at the moment, but she had been through worse. Unless something she didn't notice was damaged internally she would be fine with enough rest. Even then her healing would probably keep her alive, she had spent agonizing nights as this 'gift' regenerated her insides, and so she moved down the hallways calmly, passing the elevator once more for the stairs. She knew they were just as controlled but she couldn't handle the tight space of the elevator if they decided to lock it and turn it into a makeshift prison. Auria moved down the steps, before reaching the right floor.

She had memorized them on the way up and from the floor plans she had poured over. Now she paused in front of a door without a handle. It only had a key pad, but it too opened for her after a moment of her hesitating, and so she wasn't surprised when she walked through to find all of them waiting for her. She heard gasps of surprise as they saw her and she tried to grin at them but she knew it didn't quite work. It felt awkward on her face and so she let it drop after a moment. 

"Looks worse than it is," She told them, proud for not slurring, and met Steve Roger's worried face. He seemed like he wanted to move foward to help, and he probably would have if she hadn't held a knife to his throat, not an hour earlier. Tony had been lounging on a counter, poised for more of his signature sarcasm, but when she had entered he had stood up, moving forward and his dark eyes serious for once. Behind him was Doctor Banner, once again in his lab coat. She moved away from him, and a motion at the edge of the room alerted her to Barnes' presence. He had been standing in a door way, not quite in the room but close enough to observe and intervene if necessary. 

"Good, Barnes. Don't let the scientists at me. Or doctors, whatever," she commanded him and everyone turned in surprise to find her walking towards the former assassin. He seemed startled as well, his wide eyes the most expressive she had ever seen them. 

"If you wanna kill me in my sleep, fine, just no doctors," she told him seriously before slouching down into a chair. She frowned down at the blood already staining the fabric, mumbling an apology which everyone ignored.

"Barnes?" she asked sharply at his silence and he moved foward to meet her eyes. He moved silently but then he was crouching in front of her, eyebrows tucked in worry. She felt her stomach flutter. 

"No scientists," he repeated and she nodded pleased.

"Or doctors," she told him seriously and he watched her strained face for a moment before replying.

"Or doctors," he agreed obediently and she sighed, letting her eyes drift closed. She leant back in the chair, hand loosly holding her side. 

"I'm going to rest, if your going to kill me, remember. In my sleep," she instructed him grumpily and he was about to respond when he realized she was already out. She was breathing deeply, mouth parting slighty as she whimpered in her sleep and he jerked away from the sound. He stood, noting her injured side and scratches. A bruise covered the left side of her face. There was blood smeared on her face and in her hair. She probably had a concussion.

Steve moved to stand by his side before incredulously looking down at their unexpected new guest. Only moments before she had arrived, Tony had strode in with Bruce trailing behind him, muttering that he had no idea what was happening, before Tony started explaining that their thief was back and that he had instructed Friday to let her in. 

Evidently she was headed to their floor for some reason, and that had brought Steve to attention, ready for an attack. Bucky had held back, remembering the way he had attacked her, ready to kill her without a second thought. It disturbed him, and it shouldn't and it should, and it was all combined with him losing his control. And then the door had opened and she had stepped in looking like someone back from the battlefield. 

She was wearing a new coat, bigger than the last one and covered with blood. He didn't know why that was so important when his eyes had taken in her injuries within seconds, but somehow it seemed to stick out to him, that she was wearing a coat that didn't fit and was now hurt. She looked so small. Looks worse than it is, she had told them and no one had believed her. She was ready to drop, exhausted and in pain but her eyes had traveled over all of them, carefully analyzing them before she had seen Banner. Then she had moved away, stepping closer to Steve and Bucky had moved foward at the motion. 

That's when she caught sight of him, and the last emotion he had expected was on her face. Relief. She had come here for him and he didn't know why. And now she was unconcious in a chair, bleeding, while her last instructions had been to keep the doctors away from her. Oh, and to murder her while she slept as if that was such a casual thing to say. 

"Well, we can't leave her there," Steve told him, laying his hand on his shoulder and Bucky realized how tense he was. He nodded, straightening and Banner and Tony came to peer at her as well.

"We have to stop the bleeding," Banner told them, moving to touch her and Bucky stepped in front of him without thinking. Banner didn't flinch exactly, but he moved away surprised. They all froze as something moved behind his eyes before settling once more. It was still Banner's kind eyes watching him when it was done and Bucky frowned in apology.

"Sorry. I didn't," Bucky started but wasn't sure what he was trying to say. Mean to offend? Mean to move at all? Banner just smiled kindly, and Bucky looked away uncomfortable. There was something about the man that was too understanding, too kind, and Bucky appreciated it. But it threatened to tear him apart with how overwhelming it was at times. He looked back to the girl, whose name they still didn't know. 

"You'll have to stop her bleeding then," Banner told him and Bucky nodded, irritated. He knew how of course. If you were on a mission and you were injured you had to stop any fatal injuries. Everything else could just hurt and heal.

"Steve?" he asked softly, and his friend nodded, going to open the door to their room. Bucky knelt beside the chair, staring at his metal arm for a moment before sliding it in under her legs and the other behind her back. He lifted her, surprised at how light she was and moved to lay her down. It was awkward, not the motion or the way he cradled her which seemed natural, but the sensation of having someone this close and breathing against him. Someone touching him. 

He moved quickly. Still he tried not to disturb her as he laid her down on his bed, knowing she would want to wake there. It had sight of the doors, and there was a large window that was easy to reach if necassary. It was secured, but he knew she could easily make it out of it if she needed too. That was why it was his bed after all. Steve hadn't pulled the blankets back yet for her yet, but he had brought out a medical kit. Bucky gritted his teeth as he layed her down, ignoring the way she frowned in her sleep as he let her go. He also didn't notice the way her arm seemed to stretch out for him as he moved away.

"We have to get her jacket off at least, to see how bad eerything is," Steve told him and Bucky nodded in agreement. He sat on the bed, leaning her foward to rest against his shoulder and sliding one arm off and then the other when he caught sight of her wings. They were closed, folded close to her body and they seemed uninjured. 

They were by far one of the cleanest parts of her and his hand moved foward by its own to gently touch the feathers. They were beautiful, not simply grey but a dozen shades of the color that seemed to melt together. They were softer than he expected as his fingertips lightly skimmed one but then his palm flattened on its own as he stroked down the wing. They were beautiful. She moved against him at the touch, mumbling something, and he quickly pulled his hand back before gently lying her back down. His heart pounded in his chest, but she was still unconscious. 

Now that her jacket was removed Bucky frowned at what he saw. Her tank top was slicked to her with sweat and blood and he slowly peeled up the side to see what was wrong. It looked like claw marks. Some kind of animal had dug into the flesh of her stomach. He exhaled all of his air in shock and at the sound, that for Bucky was nearly explosive, Steve moved across the room to him. Steve gasped at the sight, absentmindedly grabbing Bucky's shoulder but Bucky wasn't startled by the gesture. He understood completely.

"Here," Steve told him, handing him the bottle of alcohol and a pad of gauze. Bucky looked back at her, hoping she would sleep through this. He was positive that even though she had seeked them out, she would not take well to waking up with them trying to bandage her wounds. With that in mind, he poured the alchohol on her tensely, watiting for any sign that she was about to wake. She barely moved though, her eyes roaming beneath her lids. 

"She might have a concussion," Steve wondered aloud, echoing Bucky's earlier thoughts. He merely nodded, before cleaning up the blood and then smearing antibiotic cream on more gauze. Then he pressed it to the wound, watching the blood start to lightly seep through. He used the medical tape to hold it down and then surveyed the rest of her stomach for damage. She was lean and fit, but almost too thin, her bones about to show too much.

There were small bruises up her sides, and every now and again scratches. He disinfected them and smeared on ointment but didn't bandage them. He found one that was too deep, and he noted it look as if a claw had dug into her, on her hip. He took care of this one as well, finding a bandaid to put in place. But then he had seen all of the injuries that weren't under her clothes. He hesistated as he finished, frowning back at Steve when he shrugged at him. Bucky glared at him, throwing a tube of spray at him which Steve caught with a small smile.

"If there is something bad, we have to clean it. Um, I can leave, since she did request you and everything," Steve told him teasingly, but he watched his face to make sure he was okay. Bucky did sigh this time, and Steve's mouth lifted on one side at the sound. Bucky motioned for him to go and Steve nodded, going out the door but Bucky heard him stop and sit right outside in case he needed him. Bucky smiled at the sound of his friend settling before turning back to the injured girl.

He lifted her shirt quickly, cooly evaluating that she seemed undamaged other than a few bruises. The skin he could see that wasn't covered by her bra seemed mostly untouched and what he couldn't see shouldn't be any different. He lowered her shirt, seeing no cuts so then he turned back to her arms. He put three bandaids on them but otherwise they were msotly bruised once he cleared the blood away. 

Her side had seemed the most injured but anything could be hidden in her hair. He traced her hair line gently, feeling for any bumps as he cleaned away the blood. He whistled softly in sympathy when he realized what he had taken for mostly filth was in fact a quickly darkening bruise along her cheekbone and up around her eye. It was probably going to blacken and swell if he were to judge.

All he could do for that was get her an icepack. So then he pressed his fingers in her hair, moving his left hand away as he realized it would probably be cold. Stark had replaced it as soon as Bucky could let him, and he was so grateful. He hadn't realized the original had hurt, it hadn't been made to be comfortable or to feel. Just as long as it worked as a weapon. Now he could touch again, feel things but he was still careful of his arm. Stark was undeniably a genius. That's almost what worried him. He could feel how powerful his arm could still be, but he hadn't asked why Stark hadn't just replaced it with something harmless. Stark hadn't offered to tell him.

Bucky's hand caught in the wild snarls of her hair and he gently wove his fingers through it to touch her scalp. She had a small bump on the back of her head, but there were no cuts or anything that needed attention. Blood was drying in her hair, making it darker and it should repulse him when he touched it but it didn't. It made him sad.

Asleep she seemed young, still tired and worn even while resting. She frowned in her sleep, mumbling softly and eyes moving. She shouldn't have blood in her hair. He realized he had started stroking her hair when she sighed again and he caught himself from jerking it away too fast. He didn't want to wake her. His hands were shaking when he looked away from her. He took a deep breath, scowling at the way he was reacting. It was natural to feel for sympathy for someone who was seriously injured. 

Then he turned to her legs. He decided to take off her shoes since she was going to sleep anyway, but he laid them next to the bed where she could see them when she woke. Then he searched her legs. For the most part they seemed fine, up until her hips where the rips in her jeanes told him the clawing had started.

Did she find more of those werewolves, or hybrids as they were now called? Recalling her wings Bucky felt a cold chilll at the thought that maybe she knew exactly where they came from. But they were obviously not friends he admitted as he surveyed her bloody scratches. Bucky gritted his teeth. Every inch of him resented this. Even the Bucky back in the day, the one that wasn't broken, felt uncomfortable undressing an unconcious woman. The new Bucky wasn't so sure about it either. He knew he could push this feeling away and be a soldier again, assess the wounds, and deal with it unemotianally and that was what scared him. He didn't want to be unemotional again, just a soldier, just a weapon. 

"Uncomfortable it is then," he muttered to her, unbuttoning her jeans and pulling them down the slightest bit to see the tops of her legs. He was glad he had when he saw the claw mark on her inner thigh, too close to her artery for him to be comfortable with. He doctored it carefully, and noted that it hadn't cut anything too serious although if it had been any deeper it would have. It was starting to bleed heavily. He bandaged it, and put a bandaid on her other leg before buttoning her pants once more, ignoring the fact that she had been wearing simple cotton underwear. That were black, just like her bra. It seemed she really did like black. Now that he was sure her legs were fine, and he had made sure to clean off all of the blood, it was time to roll her over. 

He moaned at the thought, but gingerly lifted her once more and placed her on her stomach. It was disturbingly easy to lift her. He laid her so that her bruised cheek faced up. She almost curled up once she was on her stomach, wings slightly fluttering and he realized that it had probably been uncomfortalbe lying on them. They moved once more, stretching the slightest bit before folding tightly on her back and he was captivated by the motion that was so alive but left them alone. 

He checked the bottom of her skull, then her neck, and moved swiftly across her shoulders. Around her wings there were slits in her shirt and he could see the healthy skin there. He moved quickly, trying not to get distracted the sight of silvery scars that didn't need his attention. Her back seemed mostly fine surprisingly. The claws had dug into her legs and then up her sides, and had not touched the back of her legs either. Her face had been injured, the back of her head. Her knuckles. 

She had fought well, he thought noting how many of her wounds were from being offensive or otherwise putting up a strong struggle. He cleaned her knuckles before laying her hands back by her sides. He then gathered a spare blanket from the closet, not wanting to disturb her by pulling the blanket out from in under her, and laid it across her. He made sure that her legs and arms were free before moving away and meeting Steve outside the door. 

"Needs ice," he told him and Steve nodded, rising gracefully and going out to find Tony still in what would be considered a living room if it had been their house. He was taking something apart, small metallic parts and coils spread out on the table in front of him but he waved when they walked in. There was a bucket of ice already in baggies sitting next to him and Bucky thanked him in surprise to which he waved off as if it was nothing. Then, thoughtful gesture aside, he returned to being Tony Stark.

"So, she obviously has a thing against doctors and scientists, which Banner and I think is rude, but anyway, and a thing for super soldiers, so, what does that tell us about our little burglar? With the contributing facts that she has wings and was attacked by wolf men of course?" Tony asked them, turing to talk with his hands and pointing what Bucky hoped was just a screw driver at them.

"It took me a while to see the faces behind the lab coats," Bucky told him calmly and Tony looked at him, startled. It wasn't often that Bucky offered personal information, for all that Tony decided to treat him like everyone else. Which meant that he prodded him and said all of the things no one else was dumb or honest enough to. 

"Fair point," Tony told him, offering him a cracker from somewhere questionable. Bucky declinded with the shake of his head to which Tony shrugged and ate it himself.

"So, she breaks in, steals information, attacks Stripes here, takes on all of us, leaps out a window to fly away, only to come back beat up. How bad was she?" Tony stopped to inquire, realizing that he hadn't asked. 

"Let's just say that her and Steve pre-serum would have gotten along great," Bucky grumbled and Steve huffed, about to protest. Bucky just looked at him pointedly, earning a righteous glare, before Steve looked away, almost blushing. 

"I wasn't that bad," Steve offered in his defense and Tony snorted at them, chewing on another cracker as he looked at the bloodstained chair. He still smirked at the way Steve rolled his eyes, glaring at both him and Bucky. 

"My point was, she full on thought Assasin's Creed over here was willing to kill her in her sleep and she knew there were labs full of scientists here," Tony told them, looking up to catch both of them in the eye. He paused for a moment, making sure that they knew he was being serious. They solemnly watched him as he continued, " So, what is so bad out there that she came back here?"


	8. Waking Up and Wilson

Auria woke up to a pounding headache, something melting against the back of her neck, and her hair sticky with blood. It wasn't the best morning ever, although she was in a bed instead of a cage so it wasn't the worst she's ever had. She froze as she tried to remember where she was, eyes opening in a covert glance only to send pain lancing into her brain along with the light. She involuntarily moaned, stirring and sliding the blanket off of her, when she sensed motion. She lunged up in a panic, reaching for her knife and sliding away from whomever was in front of her before she could even take in her surroundings. 

"It's me. Calm down," a male voice told her. Oddly it seemed unemotional but tinged with what could only be described as being grumpy. Auria narrowed her eyes at the figure, taking in the dark clothes, dark hair, and weapons, before finally falling on blue eyes. She relaxed slightly, remembering her journey to the tower and her instructions. 

"Well, I woke up so thanks for not murdering me?" She offered tentatively but he didn't seem amused. She leaned foward, watching him carefully as she draped her feet off of the edge of the bed. She groaned as she straightened, blood rushing to her head and causing everything to throb for a moment.

"Don't move," he ordered and at the tone she immediatly glared, feathers ruffling in defiance. That's when she noticed her jacket was missing and she striaghtened in alarm, flattening her wings to hide them and feeling the tape sticking to her stomach. She frowned up at him, unsure if she was angry, or thankful, or annoyed at the bandages.

"No doctors. But I didn't want you to bleed on my bed," he offered coolly and she relaxed slightly, relieved that they hadn't come near her with needles and straps. She noticed the mess she had made of his sheets with a slight pang of guilt but honestly, she was going to sleep in the chair. Not her fault he moved her. 

"Where's my jacket?" she asked and he gestured to the foot of the bed. It was balled up, and she slightly wrinkled her nose at it. It looked like it smelled, and not just of smoke anymore. She nodded her thanks, reaching for it with a twinge in her side that made her scowl. 

She leapt back as if stung when he was silently there, reaching for it as well. He grabbed it before she could move and offered it to her. She hadn't heard him move. She mumbled a thank you, taking it from him as she carefully avoided touching his fingers, and slipped it on. She ignored the ache in her side when she moved her arms. 

Then she frowned, lifting her shirt to peer at her side where there should only be a bruise. She noticed Barnes looked away, staring over her shoulder and she kind of smiled. The assassin had a sense of modesty, how adorable. Then she lifted the bandage, the sound making him frown and look at what she was doing.

"You shouldn't-" he started and he froze when she cut him off.

"Bastard!" she exclaimed heatedly, pressing it back down. She looked up to see him tensed, eyes frozen as if unsure what he was suppose to do. He was poised, the fight or flight response that she had seen so many times before somehow more terrifying on him as he nearly vibrated with contained energy. She couldn't even tell if he was breathing, and his eyes stared over her shoulder as if not seeing her. Something was very wrong. She stood alarmed.

"Not you," she told him, oddly feeling the need to reassure him instead of run. She took a step foward and his eyes snapped to her. They weren't wild, but they were swirling in confusion and she stepped just a little closer. If he reached out now he could touch her and she ignored the fear that tightened her stomach.

"I was talking about the ugly beast that got me. I thought he had only punched me, but I should've assumed from the pain that he had used his claws," she told him softly, explaining a bit too much but he seeemed to calm down as she rambled and so she kept going, "Honestly, that was really unnecessary. With one holding me and everything you would think they would try to at least contain me, not make me bleed to death, but hey, Erasers. Gotta love 'em. That's a joke, by the way, I'm pretty sure no one loves them. Which is very sad actually. Thank you for making sure I didn't bleed to death." 

He had started to smile slightly at this point, as if amused, and she made herself stop talking. She frowned at him, crossing her arms across her chest and wondering if this was how Nudge felt all of the time. 

"You are welcome," he told her peacefully, as if offering her a way out of her awkward defensiveness and she took it, relaxing at his smile. But now she realized she was standing in a room with an assasin, wounded, with him in between her and the exit. And if she did escape that only meant she was in the very secure Avengers tower which she was pretty sure she couldn't get out again. Even if Nudge could pull that trick twice and open a window for her, Stark had probably locked her out of the system by now, and the Flock didn't even know she was here. 

She backed up, suddenly weary again and Bucky frowned, unsure what he did that set her off after she had relaxed. Her eye glanced to the window before returning to him and he could see the urge to flee builidng in her.

"You are safe here. Everyone wishes to speak to you, but no one will harm you," Bucky assured her, not quite sure if that was true. No one had mentioned that they wouldn't harm her but having been around these heroes these past months Bucky had come to know them as the sort of people that wouldn't. And if one of them got the urge to quite suddenly, Bucky would just have to dissuade them. Steve would agree with him, he would back him up.

"I'd actually like to just leave if that's an option?" She asked, an attempt at being playful, but he could see the desperation in her. She lifted her hands uselessly and he saw the sheathe on her arm. The one holding the knife that had threatened Steve. By now he could see that she never wanted to hurt him. But could she have? That was a different question, and an important one.

Taking her weapon from her would only upset her more, and now that they were aware it was there she wouldn't be taking anyone by surprise again. So instead of commenting on it he just stepped back and went to walk away, pausing to wait for her decision to follow. He realized with a start that he was treating her like Steve did him.

"They will want to know you are awake," Bucky told her and she nodded, taking a deep breath before following him. She didn't come up beside him but waited for him to lead the way and he had to ignore the instincts that screamed at him that he should not leave her at his back. Especially with a weapon.

He nearly turned into a tense mess, his shoulders knotting and back straightening as his fists clenched, but either she didn't' notice or she thought it was normal, because she didn't say anything. For some rason, her silent presence at his back, other than the slight tapping of her feet on the floor was slowly turning to reassuring. She didn't leap away from him scared when she saw him start to lose control or voice worries. But, she didn't even know what him losing control meant, so of course she didn't. 

Bucky sighed, entering the living room to find Sam there with Steve. Tony had left earlier, not waiting for her to wake up. Bucky had decided to peek in at her every once in a while, and make sure she wouldn't try to escape, but Steve had just waited out here, content to let Bucky take charge of her care. Bucky almost thumped him, knowing that it was making Steve happy to see him make contact with another person willingly. When you considered that she had literally just dropped in, Bucky didn't think it was fair to consider him willing but here he was. 

Banner hadn't returned, leaving her care to them until he was needed, returning to whatever project he was studiously glued to for the past week and leaving Steve and Bucky to casually wait for her to wake up. Sam must have just arrived, while Bucky was talking to the girl, he still didn't know her name he realized with irritation, or else he would have heard him enter. Bucky glanced back to see how she would react to his presence but she was following along, a pleasant smile on her face as if she wasn't bruised, bandanged, and still covered in blood. And quite possibly a hostage. Again. 

Bucky was surprised at the real smile that stretched across his face at the sight, and faced foward, moving over slightly so that when they walked into the room she could see everything at once. He watched her eyes immediately look to the door, then the windows, marking all of the exits. She had already noticed the people, but now she turned to inspect them as they turned to face the new arrivals and Bucky noticed her straighten, and her smile fall almost guiltily at the sight of Steve. Then she looked at Sam, smiling, but her eyes traveled over him looking for obvious weapons. 

"Hello, again," she greeted them first and Steve cleared his throat. Sam chuckled meeting Bucky's eyes and Bucky returend the amused glance at their shared friend. 

"Hello, I hope this time goes better than last," Steve told her and she grinned at him. She tilted her head in Bucky's direction.

"He'll make sure of that I'm certain," she joked and Bucky examined her in surprise but she didn't seem scared. She just returned his look mildly before casually moving out into the room and closer to the two other men. Bucky found himself immediately following before realizing that he was tailing her. He let her move a little farther away. 

"I'm Sam," he introduced himself, ignoring the concerned looks as he stretched out his hand to her. She took it surprised, shaking it politely before quickly returning her hand to her pocket. 

"Auria," she replied and Bucky seemed to both annoyed that he hadn't asked and absurdly pleased at her name. It seemed to fit her, unique, and spirited and beautiful. 

"Pretty name for a pretty girl. Did it have a meaning or your parents just like it?," Wilson asked her and Bucky shifted, annoyed at the small talk. Wilson gave her a flirty grin, and it would seem he was here to get her to talk and relax her. But at the question Auria stiffened slightly, head tilting. Her eyes were calculating before she answered him with a grin.

"It means wind in Latin," she told him and watched his eyes light up. She shifted away unconciously, back turned towards the room she had just come from and at the same time towards Bucky. It pleased him that she was more comfortable with turning towards him and he stepped forward which was the wrong thing to do. She then stepped away from him, eyes wide as if startled and she was the very picture of a small animal surrounded by predators.

He swallowed his annoyance, looking to Steve who was frowning. Steve knew that kind of fear meant a hard past and he hated it. Sam looked at them both guiltily and backed up, reading the tense situation and knowing that she needed some space. Steve followed his lead and leaned back against the bar instead of standing up, hoping the casual position would put her more at ease. Bucky watched her take in these changes and slighlty relax.

"I heard you kicked both Cap and Barnes butts?" Sam asked and Bucky almost snapped at him for not thinking, when she laughed softly. The sound captured his attention and he turned to focus on her. She was actually smiling this time, eyes a bit brighter at the question. 

"Yeah. If they weren't so surprised I would've been beat in a second," Auria told him and Steve rubbed his neck sheepishly. 

"She surprised us all right. Don't sell youself short, kid, that is usually hard to do," Steve told her and she lifted her arched eyebrows. Her grey eyes were slightly cool. 

"Kid? You seem to forget that you are only twenty five, Captain," Auria told him and Steve chuckled at her answer, and Bucky watched as he actually relaxed, resting his weight on his elbows. 

"Usually its everyone else that forgets," Steve admitted and they watched her eyes soften. She watched his face as he smiled at her, all sincere and open and not for the first time Bucky was jealous of how Steve made people feel. He had always been that way. It had been that emotion that had made Bucky pick his weak, broken butt up and take care of him, ignoring his protesting that he could go another round. 

It was that emotion that had made it easy for people to look at him and follow him into battle. That pureness, and openesss. That righteous hero that he always had been in his heart and soul and now he looked the part as well. And now here Bucky was, broken. Not even the man that could look at him and admire it, but a broken weapon that looked at him and just wondered why Steve could even stand keeping him in his life. 

Bucky looked back at Auria to find her eyes already on him. She smiled at him as well, the same softened look she had given to Steve before she too sighed, relaxing even more but it made Bucky feel guilty. He didn't deserve that look, he wasn't like Steve. He wasn't a hero and if she knew what he really was she would never think he was. 

"I'll accept that Captain America just seems retro," Auria told him and Steve grinned at her. 

"You wouldn't think that if you saw that boy run, I want to taze him so that I might catch up a lap," Sam told her and she laughed again at the exasperation in his voice. It was soft, and careful, but real and it was the second time that Sam had made her laugh. 

"So, are y'all handling my interogation? 'Cause I could use some food before we got to it, honestly," She told them and all of the men in the room stiffened at the word interrogation. Sam looked uncomfortable and looked to Steve for help. Steve had straightened up, jaw tightening in refusal of the word before he turned to Bucky. Who had once again tightened all over although he didn't seem to lose himself this time. Bucky stared at her, eyes distant but focused on her as she played with something in her pocket.

"We aren't going to interogate, we just need some asnwers. Everyone is going to come down and ask some questions. I'm sure we can find you something to eat," Steve told her but he moved to comfort Bucky. Everyone was watching him now, waiting to see if he could control it. But he never could. Then she smiled at him, stepping foward. Not close at all, just a step closer but he focused on the movement and then her facial expression that seemed so expressive for someone who was constantly trying to hide things.

"I'm actually starving. It takes a lot of energy being a bird kid, and even then, I'm one of a kind. Been told I'm infamous actually, which I'm not sure if I should be worried about," Auria told him and he focused on her words. They had nothing to do with him, not before the cold, or during or while he was pain. Not even now when he was trying to deal with the memories. This was new, real, and now. Auria. 

"Steve and I have to consume lots of food as well. Perhaps it is the same," he told her and she nodded thoughtfully, eyes trailing to Steve who seemed to be watching her in shock. She frowned at him, not sure if she had revealed too much.

"What? Everyone in this room and most of the people on the internet now know I have wings. Not that big of a secret anymore. And besides, I am about to consume as much of your food as I can get my hands on. You might need to brace yourselves," Auria told him, and it sounded like she was completly serious. Steve nodded, bemused at her honesty as he looked back to Bucky who seemed to slightly smile at her comment before it faded away too quickly. 

"I'll order up our usual. They know how we like to eat, so it shouldn't take so long," Steve told her and went to figure out dinner. She nodded appreciatingly before glancing at Bucky to find him relaxing. 

"So, Sam, does your last name happen to be Wilson?" She asked him and he nodded surprised.

"How'd you know?" He asked curiously and she grinned at him, blushing a bit and Bucky watched the color rise from below her ears to spread over her cheeks. It seemed to darken the bruise a bit and he frowned.

"I might have done a little research before trying to break into the tower," she admitted and Sam grinned at her answer.

"Oh, that makes sense. Not condoning it but at least you were thorough," he told her and she tossed her head a little in a silent laugh. This was even smaller than before but she grinned before catching herself. She seemed surprised to be enjoying herself.

"So, some bandaids, some nice questions later, and even dinner. What are the chances I could press my luck and ask for a shower?" Auria asked them, with just a touch of whiny, gesturing to the blood in her hair. She turned to look at Bucky, since he lived here he assumed, and he stepped foward happily.

"I'm sure that will be fine. I'll get some clothes you can use," Bucky told her, and she waved as Sam told her goodbye. He led her to the shower down the hall, Steve and Bucky's personal bathroom, rather than going to another floor. She followed him easily, still staying at a distance. 

He stepped aside to let her enter the bathroom, noting her sideways look and how she tensed before she passed him. It was a large bathroom, only the best at Stark Tower and she hummed appreciatively. It was decorated in red, white, and blue. Steve nearly had a fit when he seen it, but seeing as Tony had left the rest of the floor only slightly decorated he had let it go. He saw Auria notice the decorations with a grin, eyes sparkling as her eyes fell on the star shaped drain in the shower. 

A large tub sat in the other room, big enough for Steve or himself to sink into and he saw her look at it longingly. It was white, the faucet and curved legs a blue. Auria turned to him questioningly and he realized he had just been sitting there watching her. He shifted in embarrassment, gesturing to where the towels were piled in colored stacks, red, white, and blue of course. 

"There are the towels, I will sit the clothes outside the door. I'll knock," he told her and she nodded. He moved to leave and she shifted for a moment as if she had something to say, making him stop to face her.

"Thank you," she told him, and then awkwardly waved him away to tell him that was all. He smiled, nodding in reply before turning to firmly shut the door behind him. He heard her turn the lock the minute it was closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the Kudos! Yay :D It makes me extremely happy. If you have any questions or see anything that needs fixed, just tell me! Hope you continue to like it!


	9. A Few Answers

Auria turned with a silent mortified scream as she smacked herself in the forehead. That was painfully embarrassing but she was usually awful at human contact and there was no reason this would be any different. She decided to try and shrug it off, turning instead to smile at the wonderous bathroom once again. She had instinctively looked for a way to escape, but the room held no windows and no other doors. She wasn't sure if she would have been able to make herself run even if she could have she decided as she caught herself longingly staring at the large shower waiting for her. She moved to play with the buttons, noticing with a chuckle that there were simple knobs on the inside as well. 

She had a feeling the boys from the '40's prefered things old fashioned. She on the other hand was thrilled when one button caused an explosion of pink bubbles. This was going to be fun. She wished she had time to lounge in the tub, one that she could actuall sink into instead of the tiny ones where you had to pull your knees up. But there wasn't enough time for that. The shower would do, and now that she had buttons to push it seemed even more exciting. She unwound her sheathes and places them beside the glass where she could reach them. 

She eagerly stripped out of her gross clothes, dropping them into a corner by themselves. She wasn't willing to even touch their dirty laundry with hers and the gross coating of what could only be called 'ick'. Besides she would need them later even if the thought was repulsive. Her bandages she threw away, blushing at the one on her thigh she was certain she hadn't put there, but forced away the thought of who actually had deciding not to analyze what exactly that made her feel. It was over and done. She stepped into the shower instead, pressing a button that said waterfall with slight worry but mostly excitment. Then she squealed when the water not only came out from the faucet head she could see, but straight across the ceiling in a wide spray leaving her effectively in what she assumed a waterfall would feel like. 

She moved back to keep her wings mostly dry but then relaxed into the spray, letting the warm water soak her. She found the heat and kicked it up a bit, watching the water run red and brown and then pink as her muscled loosened. Her side was seeping a bit, but it would be better in a day, two at most. Her other injuries were already fading, the scratches healing. Her face would last for a bit, but she knew the way it would fade was unnatural. They would definitly notice if she was here for very long.

Auria heard a soft knock at the door, jumping before she remembered what Barnes had said. That would be him with her clothes. She quickly pressed one of the soap buttons to finish her shower, noticing with a squeal that whatever she had pushed smelt like pine trees, or cedar wood, instead of whatever flower bubbles she had found before. It was a mans' shower she admitted, but the smell wasn't super strong and so she just rinsed off and did her hair. This time she was more careful with the buttons and she foudn one that said lilies. 

After her shower she wrapped herself in a blue towel. It was thick and soft, falling to the middle of her thighs and she tucked it in tightly before quickly opening the door and finding the clothes waiting on her. She brought them all in swiftly and locked the door behind her once more before looking at what she was given. Her eyebrows lifted at the mostly spandex assemble before grinning at the large t-shirt. It was owned by some one, well worn and obviously a man's, and she silently thanked Barnes for the thoughtful gesture. Underclothes had been provided, the bottoms just a little tight and the bra just a little large but she preferred that then them creepily knowing her sizes. 

She tightened the bra's straps and buckled it on the the farthest one and it felt fine, the bottoms only feeling a little low. She wiggled into the pants, wondering why on earth these clothing items were even at the tower, and then why they even existed in the first place. When her pants were finally in place she kicked the skin tight jacket that matched away in disgust and pulled the tshirt on.

It was only a little large, her breasts and height making it just seem a bit loose instead of engulfing her. She was actually thankful as it mostly covered her butt that seemed way too obvious in whatever passed as pants around here. Luckily they were long enough and she didn't have to show her ankles like she usually did when she found pants long enough. She carefully placed her sheathes back where they belonged and touched her blades comfortingly. 

Finally dressed, it had taken a few minutes thanks to evil spandex, she strolled down the hallway back to where they had come from. There had been a few doors along the way that she had noted on her way passed but now unescorted when tugged on the handles experimentally to find that they had been firmly shut locked. She walked back into the living room where everyone seemed to be in the middle of either a very passionate family game night, or they were trying to kill each other. She couldn't decide which.

Tony Stark had a white board up on the bar and was writing on it with a dry erase marker. Auria assumed it was Steve's since she had never seen Tony Stark touch something so old school willingly. While he was writing he was shouting to Banner who seemed to be the only calm one out of the bunch. Steve was aruging with Tony, who was ignoring him, Sam was talking to Bucky who seemed to be ignoring him and glaring at Stark, who was ignoring everyone. 

"Ilogical! You have no logical thinking, its all about emotion with you," Stark finally adressed Steve whom immediatly replied.

"At least I have emotions, Tony! She is a girl, not a science experiment!"He retorted angrily and Auria froze. She felt the blood drain from her face, the small smile at their antics drop slowly as she saw what Stark had been writing. Wings. Strength. Calorie intake, weight of bones, math, numbers, lift, science, code, things to describe her. What she was. Not who. She noticed the room go quiet and she dragged her eyes away from the board to the men that had noticed her presence and were now facing her in silent horror. 

Banner had thankfully left his lab coat somewhere else and Stark at least seemed startled and repentant as he saw her reaction, but it wasn't enough. They were all staring at her, wondering how she was going to react and for once she wasn't sure either. Her hair was still damp, clinging to skin that was suddenly clammy and no one moved for which she was grateful. If someone had tried to come to reassure her she would probably freak out. She felt the urge to grab her knife but she knew it was a bad idea even though she ached to feel its familiar weight in her palm. 

"Auria," his calm voice said and her eyes immediatly snapped to Barnes' face. It was the first time he had said her name. He seemed calm but she could see the fear in his eyes, oddly enough not of her, but for her. He could see her slowly unraveling and she took a deep breath as she stared at him and his sympathetic eyes. He understood.

"Well, he isn't wrong," she tried to joke but it fell flat, her voice scraping even to her own ears. Steve actually flinched at the sound and Tony moved to wipe the board clean but she moved towards him, freezing the motion. 

"No. This is what you think of me," she told him and he didn't have any words to that, just backed away so she could get closer to the board. She tried to smile when she saw a doodle someone drew of her wings outstretched but even that had numbers surrounding it, the width to her height. 

"I was told you were going to ask questions," she prompted the silent room, her tone weary. Steve had sat back down, hands dangling between his knees as he watched her. Bucky stood on his left, still and straight like a soldier, or a statue. Or a guardian. Sam had slunk against the wall, his excitement drained at her presence and Banner had shifted foward, wanting to say something but he held back since her last reaction to him had not gone so well. Tony was left standing beside her, and she looked to him. He put the lid back on the marker in his hands, shifting and for once not making a joke.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean," he began but she shook her head.

"You never do. It's for science, research, understanding. There is always a reason," she told him and she stopped him once again before he could speak, "No, I know, you aren't them. But scientists are scientists. They need to discover. Even if that means pulling you apart piece by piece. You wanted to ask me questions Mr. Stark?" 

Tony sighed, moving to sit on a stool and admitting defeat. He faced Steve, letting him handle this and she saw the moment he turned into Captain America. He straightened, and although he still looked at her with sympathy he was now in charge. He clasped his hands together.

"You broke into the tower earlier today and tried to download information, what were you trying to get?" he asked her and she wished she had pockets to place her hands. Instead she grasped her left wrist with her right, standing at attention. It annoyed her that it was a comfort, training drilled into her that she had promised to forget, but she did it anyway to stand firm in front of her audience. Now it was her, standing in front of them and all eyes were expectant. 

"I was searching for information pertaining to other of my kind and the, well. I would call them heartless bitches from hell but my language can get a bit colorful, ITEX. Short for Itexicon. I needed to know if they had infiltrated, or were a part of, Stark Industries and now the Avengers tower," Auria told them easily. It was the truth. She had come to the surprising realization in the shower that she needed to tell them, but she was not going to tell them about the flock. She would protect them, even if it was from the supposed heroes. She noticed their looks of surprise, either at her frank speech, or at what she was telling them.

"I've never heard of ITEX," Tony offered, and Banner and Wilson shrugged. 

"I have," Barnes stated and everyone looked at him in surprise. Auria stared at him, shivering at the thought that sent fear sizzling up her spine when he shook his head and she felt herself relax. 

"I was sent, not a part of them. I had come across them," he told them and Auria frowned in confusion. What did that even mean?

"The people that sent me, they wanted to get back on good terms with them," Bucky continued, and although it meant nearly nothing to her, it was as if he was trying to explain it to Auria. Stark was quickly typing away at the slim computer he had carried with him, searching for any trace of it. 

"I can find absolutely no trace of it, at least not under that name, in my company. Pepper would know for certain but in all of the files there is nothing. On the other hand, I can find mysterious files that were cut off by govement interference," Stark told them, before going quiet as he tapped away. 

"What is ITEX?" Captain America prompted her and she tilted her head for a moment in thought. 

"Itexicon was an organization that had branches in every country, and was powerful enough to get away with anything it wanted. Positions in goverment, in major corporations, in industry. We thought here. It was destroyed a few years ago, we thought completely dismantled, but ITEX seems to have survived, at least in moderation. It doesn't have the resources it once had, but its enough. They cooperated with an instintution referred to as the School, where I was. Well, a science experiment," she ended, and everyone sat in silence trying to take in what she was saying. It seemed to happen slowly, confusion at first as they tried to fight how completely wrong that was. 

"How does something like that even exist?" Sam asked in equal amounts disgust and disbelief after a moment and Steve turned to look at him.

"You mean a secret organization that infiltrates half of the globe and is predisposed towards experimenation? Like Hydra?" he asked and it was almost as if half the room flinched. Bucky's eyes shuttered, closing off to where you couldn't read anything there as if he was a breathing corpse and it was by far more frightening than anything she had seen before. Even his instinct to kill her had at least beeen partially natural. This was something much worse. It reminded her of his expression at the bar, when he had still been holding his gun except this one wasn't brought on by a fight for survival. Not on the outside. 

"I don't know what that is," Auria told them loudly, and Bucky looked up at her. It was almost as if he didn't recognize her, or didn't care if he did, his eyes staring through her.

"They took down half of the U.S. secret service last year. We handled it," Banner explained and Auria nodded. She wouldn't have really noticed if they did, she was a bit busy that year, so she couldn't disagree. It was Bucky's reaction that had bothered her. And if everyone else had been bothered as well, then, she was glad Hydra was no longer around.

"So, you can also call them heartless bitches from hell," Tony offered and she smiled. She didn't look at him but it was a start. 

"You said we," Banner said and she glanced sideways at him.

"Hmm?" she asked, trying to remember what she had let slip.

"You said we thought here. Who else were you working with?" he asked her and Auria tilted her head coolly, feeling her face freeze into a polite smile.

"No one, Dr. Banner. It must have been a misunderstanding," she told him and she could tell absolutely no one believe her.

"We know you had a friend that hacked into the lab, and then into the tower to save you. Then there was that person named Max," Captain America told her sternly and her eyes slightly narrowed on him. It was the look earlier, that had unsettled them by showing that she was more than just a girl. She was a dangerous woman that they weren't quite sure what could do, or was willing too. 

"I already told you all I care to about Max, Captain," She told him politely, her voice smooth. It sounded easier than it had when she was joking earlier but the false tone was creepy. 

"I don't know if we can accept that answer," Captain America told her, slight humour creeping in as he remembered the last time Tony had asked the question. She had been very blunt. 

"Then you aren't going to be satisfied, because that is the only answer I am going to give you. They are no danger to you. They merely care about ITEX and the threat that it poses to us," Auria told him and he nodded, not quite satisfied but accepting her reluctance to tell him. 

"So, they're like you?" Sam asked, and she almost snapped that yes they were experiments when she saw the wonder in his eyes. She remembered when she had researched him, and his mechanical wings. She had wondered about the human so desperate to fly and admired him.

"Yes, Sam. They are," she admitted to him and she almost swore he stopped breathing for a moment. She had to stop herself from killing his light. To say, yes, locked in a cage, robbed of childhoods, experiments, tortured. Just like me. 

"I can't find anything concrete on these guys!" Tony exclaimed in exasperation and they looked a bit impressed at this news. It would seem Tony could usually find anything. 

"No, my hacker, as you referred to my friend, could barely find anything either. And she's the best," Auria told him and recieved a slight glare.

"I'm the best," Stark told her and Auria snorted.

"I believe she referred to you as a genius, funny, and oh how she'd like to talk to you about how you managed to layer information fire walls, but no. I'm pretty sure she never said you were the best," Auria told him and he stared at her in surprise for a moment, dark eyes nearly swirling at the fast pace his thoughts were traveling. 

"She figured it out!" he exclaimed and Auria shrugged, honestly not sure what she had acutally been taliking about but it seemd to run over Tony like a freight train. 

"She said she didn't understand all of it, honestly," Auria admitted but he was still in shock, back on his screen where he was going through his technology, and she assumed he was tracing Nudge's technology hacking fingerprints through his system. Banner shrugged at her, telling her that his quick distraction was a habit of his. 

"What were the hybrids?" Captain America asked her, bringing her attention away from Tony and asking her to continue. She frowned for a moment before snorting.

"Oh, the Erasers. Sorry, took me a minute. That's what you are calling them? Am I considered one?" She wondered for a moment but no one answered her so she shrugged, "They are genetically engineered specifically made to track down and eliminate. Erase essentially. Sorry, the name came about from chidlren it stuck." 

"Children?" Steve asked, and he was once again Steve. It wasn't so much how he held himself this time, but the way he asked painfully instead of commanding and distant. 

"Yeah, Cap. Children," she told him softly, feeling a bit like a sadist for feeling curious at the twist of pain in his eyes. But it had been so normal to see people unaffected by the sight of their agony, by causing the pain, that to see someone hurt at the idea? 

It seemed unbelievable but Bucky moved his hand to squeeze Steve's shoulder, the way she had seen Steve comfort him. Bucky didn't seem surprised, and she wondered what he had been through to not feel surprised at the expermimentation of children. It wasn't that he didn't care, she could see the worn down flare of pain in his eyes. It just didn't surprise him.


	10. The Video and Another Alarm

"Hey, anyone wanna see how Auria got her butt kicked? Little bit of vengeance?" Tony asked abruptly into the silence. Steve looked as if he was about to protest but Tony had already pulled up a large holographic screen, the image a bit fuzzy. The angle made her tilt her head a bit when she realized it was footage from a security camera.

"Why are there cameras everywhere?" she complained, folding her arms and moving to stand where she could see the screen. It also placed her a little farther away from them, out of the circle as they all turned to see her barrel down the alley, panting hard with the Erasers on her tail. She heard Sam mutter about overkill when they saw the size of them. Erasers were always physically large and covered in muscle. Strength is what they were made for. Compared to her slender form, designed for speed, it did seem intimidating.

And that's when the other two came from the front and she slid to a stop. Steve actually cursed at the sight of them, and then glared at Tony when the other man muttered about his language making Auria grin, but then they were all absorbed in watching the scene play out. Eyes widened as they caught sight of the Erasers shift for the first time, everyone except Barnes and Rogers were almost a bit in disbelief about these 'werewolves' no matter how much they trusted the men. They could see them now, and they were horrifyingly real, claws and fangs and fur and monstrous intent.

"How did you ever get out of there?" Stark wondered aloud at the sight, but that was when she struck. She tensely watched their faces, hoping that super soldiers hearing wasn't as advanced as hers. She could make out the words from the footage, the muttered threats and insults but if Steve couldn't hear, just seeing her fight was enough to make him pale a bit. Bucky beside him had clenched his hand around the back of the couch, knuckles whitening as she heard her scream.

She glanced back at the screen, noting the moment when she was grabbed behind with an annoyed huff. She should have seen that coming, or at least sensed him coming up behind her. But then the shorter Eraser punched her in the stomach, and this time she saw him twist his claws open at the last moment. Her face was already bruised and she looked away back at the gathered men. Now Auria knew that onscreen she would be tightening into a ball as she wretched in pain. She caught sight of Tony watching on the edge of horror. She wasn't sure if it was because of the two bodies already dropped, or the way she drooped listlessly but when she looked to Banner his eyes weren't on the video.

They were on her, worry in them as he watched her watch their reactions. She looked away as he frowned in concern at whatever he found in her face. Sam had stood up, fists clenched and she could basically see him vibrate in fury, the thought making her stomach twist in an uneasy warmth that she couldn't identify as she realized it was for her. She had never seen someone physically react to her being outnumbered, or her pain in general, when they couldn't do anything about it.

And that's when the screaming started, and this time it was not hers. She could see the horror on their faces, changing from not for her but of her when she dug her teeth into his arm, spitting blood and growling a challenge to the remaining men. Now the tension in the room was so thick that she could barely breath and she could tell that they were carefully avoiding looking at her. She distantly felt as if this couldn't be real. Her standing in front of the Avengers feeling ashamed of fighting back as the scent of the forest radiated form her skin and mingled with the wet dampness on her shirt from her hair.

Auria looked over in time to see herself sink in pain, and even though it was unsettling for them to see her violent, she frowned as she knew they could see her weakness. But of course they knew, she had showed up here and passed out in a chair. They knew the extent of her injuries that Auria would otherwise have kept hidden. It was no surprise to see her rip off her jacket to stop her bleeding and laugh humorlessly before heading down the alley and back towards the tower. The video ended as she wavered before taking to the sky only leaving a trail of blood behind.

The only one that would look at her for a moment afterwards, without hesitation to school their emotion, was Barnes. He didn't seem disgusted or shocked by what he had seen. He almost seem impressed. For some reason that grounded Auria enough to take on the others mingled pity and wariness with nonchalance.

"So, other than the fact that I'm really out of practice, y'all learn anything?" Auria asked, rolling her weight to jut out her hip and tilt her head as if she didn't care what they would say.

"That erasers are terrifying? ," Sam offered, watching her wide eyed, but she saw his eyes slide to over her shoulder to where her wing should be. She smiled a bit, realizing that even after all that he had seen her do, the sight of her flying, actually flying, had caught his attention. He really did crave the sky. Tony on the other hand had pulled out his marker, taking the lid on and off as he stared over at the erase board. He was fighting it so hard but she could see the physical need to write down his observations.

"Have at it, Stark," she told him, waving at the board and he didn't hesitate long enough to second guess if he should. He had erased half of it, quickly smearing out whatever calculations they had on her and replaced it with what he had learned about the Erasers. This time seeing him work it out she fought down the nausea enough to rationally see that he was just thinking aloud, too much happening in his brain to keep it all in. It was almost like seeing Nudge, the way she talked ninety to nothing as her fingers moved across a keyboard and with that comparison she looked away.

"Are you sure you are okay? We have x-ray machines and," Banner offered, his instinct to help her after seeing what actually happened overriding his caution when it came to keeping his distance.

"No, I will be fine. All of the wounds were superficial, none were fatal, and I would have been able to carry on, its just. I could attend to them myself. I honestly didn't have anywhere to go where I was sure there wouldn't be more hostiles. Except here," Auria told them, flushing as she admitted that she actually needed their help even though she was obviously here taking it.

"You sound like a soldier," Steve told her, and his blue eyes were surprisingly perceptive.

"Not exactly," she told him, but it was Barnes that caught her attention. He barely moved but she looked at him startled, realizing he had rolled his eyes at her. She glared, not quite heatedly, still surprised by his reaction. The corner of his mouth tilted the smallest, eyes almost dancing as he watched her and it was her turn to roll her eyes, looking away as she blushed again, annoyed at herself for feeling embarrassed. He hadn't even talked and he had unnerved her more than the others combined.

"Not at all," she amended finally, talking to Steve once more before rolling her tense shoulders and sighing as she looked down at her pants.

"I was trained. But not even remotely close to what the military would consider appropriate. Whose idea are these clothes anyway?" She asked them, changing the subject and picking at the pants but there wasn't enough loose fabric to actually pluck at the cloth. Tony grinned.

"Its is an aerodynamic material designed here at the labs and able to monitor body heat. And it looks great," Tony told her with a wink which she ignored. It seemed as if the man could barely breathe without teasing someone.

"The rest we got from a few of the female staff, they were really curious as to why we needed them to get female underthings. Really, the things you've done to my reputation," Stark told her, placing a hand over the light that softly glowed through his dark band t-shirt as if it wounded his heart.

"I shudder to think about you're reputation Tony," A female voice said as the doors slid open, and a woman strode in. She wore killer heels and a tailored skirt and blouse that reminded Auria of the lawyers she had met before. But unlike them she was smiling, her red hair pulled back in a low knot and the freckles across her nose made her seem friendly instead of calculating as she walked over to where Stark was now dramatically gasping in offense.

"Honestly, Pepper, you wound me," he told her, reaching out to grasp her hand and pull her close for a kiss. Auria watched in surprised interest, seeing the man soften and smile at the woman sternly looking down at him. He sighed at whatever silent message she was giving him and shrugged but Pepper Potts smiled at him and pressed another small kiss to his lips.

"Hello everyone, I was just dropping by when I was informed you were bullying a guest. Really, five of you against one lady? Natasha would be disappointed," Pepper lightly scolded them and she saw all of them shift guiltily. Auria watched her in interest, surprised by the power she seemed to lightly wield. First she was Tony Stark's personal assistant, and then Stark Industries CEO, and Stark's partner. Auria had been thorough, Pepper Potts was entirely human in everything that Auria had found, and although there was mention of an incident with something that almost killed her, she had displayed no side effects. Even though Pepper Potts had no powers she seemed to emanate authority.

Everyone respected her, all of these super powered and enhanced individuals who could probably drop her in a second bent their heads and shuffled like children at her stern look. Not scared of her, but disappointed that she was upset with them. No wonder she was gentle, if she was truly mad she might make them cry. Now that they were appropriately chastened, she turned to face Auria, and the girl swallowed before straightening up in under her firm gaze. The woman could tone down Tony Stark, Auria knew she wasn't afraid to look down on the raggedy young girl.

"I'm Pepper Potts, you can call me Pepper," she introduced herself kindly instead, moving gracefully to offer her slender hand. Auria noticed Bucky moving, shifting to watch her and Auria stifled the urge to snap that she wouldn't murder the woman. That would probably only get Stark to shoot her. Right now he was watching her like a hawk, the most serious she had ever seen him as he watched Auria reach out to shake Pepper's hand. She immediately retracted her own as soon as possible but she smiled at the woman. She could almost see him control the urge to hold Pepper back, and Auria smirked knowing Potts would probably make him regret it if he tried. But in his defense, he had just seen Auria dig her teeth into someone until they bled.

"Auria," she told the older woman, for once actually wondering what it would be like to be a fashionable woman. Usually whenever she was next to one, or met one, it was with contempt and the inner decision that they were all useless. Pepper Potts would never be described as useless.

"Really boys, the clothing you subject females too here at the lab is ridiculous. We aren't all Natasha," she told them but her eyes were still on Auria, kind but probing. She watched as Pepper then turned her eyes to tracing the bruise that must be getting worse because she frowned and reached out for her face. Auria didn't mean to flinch away and she locked it down immediately but it was too late. Pepper had already froze, drawing her hand back before slowly touching her with a wince of sympathy, smooth fingers gentle as they almost caressed Auria's cheek reassuringly.

"I'll get you the ointment I use on Tony. For someone covered in head to tow armor he sustains a surprising amount of bruises. I'm pretty sure its because he never misses a chance to get out of his suit and release what he believes is his incredible wit," Pepper told her teasingly, not bothering to lower her voice as she jabbed at her lover. It had the intended desire when Tony pouted and threw his hands in the air.

"There is always a perfectly good reason! I don't just get out to sass everyone, that's Captain America's job," Tony told them and she saw Steve roll his eyes.

"I don't sass," Steve protested, but it came out so undeniably sassy that Sam threw his head back in laugher. Even Bucky smiled, looking at his friend that had always been a little bit brazen no matter what his size.

"Alright, settle down," Steve complained but he smiled as well at their reaction and Pepper took this chance to reach out for Auria's hand. She waited for her to take it, not demanding just waiting, until Auria reached forward and let her thin fingers wrap around her own.

"At least James had the kindness to get you a decent shirt," Pepper told her as she lead her away. Auria looked back to find Tony watching them, twiddling with his marker before leaping to his feet and coming with, and Auria was almost relieved. She looked back to find Barnes' watching them leave, his expression impenetrable before he moved to follow.

She wasn't sure how she felt about Pepper just taking her, to who knows where. What if it was a trap? Or what if Auria overreacted and hurt her? It would be all too easy. Tony easily caught up, moving to walk beside Pepper as well but on her other side. Trying not to make it to obvious that he was watching every move Auria made.

"Hey, Pepper, what were you dropping by for again?" Tony asked as an excuse to catch up and Pepper smiled at him, not deceived. Bucky just moved behind them, giving them space but obviously following and he didn't even try to come up with an excuse. Auria caught the grateful look Tony gave him over his shoulder before his attention was captured by Pepper. It actually relieved Auria as well to have the silent shadow behind her, carefully weighing her actions and hopefully those of the people around her. She wasn't sure why, but she was almost certain that Barnes wouldn't just let them drag her off to a lab. Maybe it had something to do with a band aid she found on her thigh and a comfortable t-shirt she was now wearing. Thoughtful gestures were wasted on someone that you were just going to let be dissected.

"Stark Industries has been contacted by a certain agency and I needed to file a report, I do actually needed you to sign off on some things. The director was very specific," Pepper told him and Auria didn't even mind that it was as vague as possible. Tony immediately smirked, eyes glittering before responding saucily. Somehow it was still gentle and Auria ignored the boring business talk as she watched how they interacted instead.

He nearly bounced as he strode, exuding what seemed to be endless energy but his steps matched hers perfectly. She walked fast, no nonsense steps that were clipped and purposeful. They were close as they talked, not excluding her exactly, but so connected that they brushed occasionally and seemed to just fit together as they moved.

Auria had seen something like it, but she had assumed that kind of love and partnership came from years of fighting together and living together. Fighting to survive and having nothing else to depend on beside each other. Maybe that was a part of it. Tony Stark and Pepper Potts had certainly been through some dangerous situations if not quite to that level, but maybe that was just how love changed you. Made you a part of each others instead of just one person with another, but a them. Like Fang and Max. Everything they did together, whether they knew it or not was connected. From their feathers brushing while flying, to the way they fought together seamlessly, to the way they talked in mostly facial expressions and looks.

Auria glanced over her shoulder to find Barnes watching her, but instead of the calculated cold expression of someone preparing to take her down like she expected she found a small smile. She nearly grinned broadly in return, catching herself in time to turn the expression into a scowl as she turned back around but by the dark eyebrow that raised quickly, she knew he wasn't fooled.

She almost stopped to punch the smug look off of his face when the alarms went off, an echo from her earlier visit that didn't stop her from leaping in front of Pepper and guiding her, now with Tony who was holding her, back against the wall with her back. Barnes was already by her side but he didn't reach to stop her but stand beside her prepared for an attack.

Tony had almost attacked her when he saw Auria move, and had wrapped around Pepper instead to pull her out of the way only to find her in front of them. He watched in surprise as she obviously moved to protect her. But then he was distracted by irritation as Pepper sighed at both of them and moved out of his arms and around Auria. Auria glared at her, taken aback by her lack of interest in being safe, but didn't force it as she turned to find Barnes tensed and eyes dark and wary. Stark followed Pepper anyway, and if she was certain about one thing it would be that Stark wouldn't let anything happen to Pepper Potts.

"So, this happen often around here?" Auria asked flippantly over the blaring sound of alarms and Barnes' cold eyes slide to meet hers with utter disappointment at her sense of humor but there was also the tiniest bit of mirth that brought some life back into his expression. He was still tense though, the loud alarm and lights shrieking at his instincts, calling on him to do something.

The lights that lit the top of the hallways kept flashing and casting bright red over his face. It lit his hair and cast shadows on his angled face that she followed with her eyes before snapping her eyes away to watch Tony and Pepper, hoping the red lighting would be enough explanation if he could see the red in her cheeks.

"No," he replied simply and she grinned at him before turning to the scowling Tony, who still had one of his hands tangled in Peppers, but who was now talking to his AI and trying to figure out the breach in security. His dark eyes were full of something that made her shiver when he turned to her with a grin. It could have been mistaken for careless excitement for a fight, but she had seen it on Max's face enough times to realize that it was really an energy fueled by a feral protectiveness.

"So, this time definitely isn't you?" he asked and she almost retorted obviously not when she hesitated. Was it Nudge, trying to break her out again? Could she have hacked into the system again, or had the Flock literally tried to invade the tower?

"Um, I don't think so?" she offered instead to a sigh and scowl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if anyone has any opinions on how to better their personalities just let me have 'em! I don't feel like I do everyone justice. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for the support :)


	11. The Winter Soldier and The Expirement

Stark snorted at her response, striding with the overly calm Pepper into the elevator and Auria found herself ushered after them by the silent Barnes. She followed easily, the panic only settling in when she turned to find the doors sliding silently closed and the floor started rising. Pepper and Tony where now discussing security, or the seeming lack thereof, when Auria cleared her throat.

"So, now probably isn't a good time to mention that I'm claustrophobic, is it?" Auria asked with a forced laugh, that was only a little hysterical. She felt her breathing pick up, and she focused on keeping it even. She couldn't stop from tensing or her hands from clenching as panic started to set in. 

Tony rolled his eyes at her attempt at humor, leaning back against the elevator wall and Pepper sent her a look of sympathy. Tony was about to reply when Barnes moved in front of her and he closed his mouth in surprise, Pepper turning to him to give them privacy. Their continued conversation was a forced background hum but Tony snuck couldn't stop sneaking glances as Auria backed up in surprise as Barnes shook his head at her.

"No, it really isn't," Barnes told her firmly and she tried to give him a fearless grin that was just a tad bit too shaky. It dropped quickly. She tried to remember how many floors were in the tower and how long that meant she was going to be trapped in this box of steel. She stared at Barnes, eyes trailing over the knives she could see hidden under cloth and the dark jeans he was wearing today. Casual. Except for the gloved left hand under his long sleeve t-shirt.

"So, what's up with the glove?" Auria blurted, trying to get her mind off of the way the walls seemed to be closing in, but then she immediately regretted it as she realized what she had asked. She looked up at him quickly, catching his eyes. 

"I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me. I shouldn't have pried," Auria told him remorsefully, almost reaching out to reassure him like she would have one of the flock. But she let her hand drop back to her side. He watched her appraisingly, blue eyes careful and steady. She watched in surprise and anxious anticipation as he raised his left hand, hesitating before tugging off the black glove. It was metal. 

She reached out without thinking, gently gripping the metal hand within both of her own. It was slightly cool, metal smooth against her skin. She looked up to find him watching her with a blank expression on his face, but he didn't take it away, and so she turned it over, laying it palm up in her left hand and tracing the gentle curves with her fingers.  
It really was beautiful, but her heart ached as she wondered what happened to him. 

And then her fingers stilled in horror as she remembered the attack, just a couple of years earlier. There had been a lot going on that day but she had read the reports of Captain America and the Black Widow fighting in the streets, the Falcon's debut as an asset to the Avengers. There had been a man, an assassin they later amended, sent to kill Captain America. The Winter Soldier, lethal and powerful, his most distinguishing characteristic a metal arm. 

She tried to picture what had happened, forcing the silent haunted man before her into the assassin sent after Captain America but it wouldn't fit. She couldn't imagine the careful protective man, whose gentle gaze watched Steve Rogers as if he was the best man he had ever met trying to kill him. Or Steve fighting back, his own gaze equally warm and hands comforted Barnes having to fight off his best friend. It would have been a horrific nightmare. 

She slid her fingers across the knuckles, so realistic that she would have thought it was a real had it not been hard under her fingers. She moved up, sliding the fabric of his sleeve and cradling his hand with her own as she encircled his wrist. She stopped there, looking up to find him watching her wide eyed, and almost a little scared. 

"It's my entire arm and my shoulder onto my chest," he told her without prompting and she reached up to place her palm on his shoulder. She felt the transition from flesh to metal and followed its path to his chest. She could feel his rapid heartbeat in under her hand, his metal one still wrapped in hers. 

She looked up into his eyes, finding them wide and far too open. She wasn't sure if this had been an I've seen yours and so I'll show you mine, or if it was just his attempt to show her that he was dangerous, to make her scared of him. But now her heart only ached as she saw the pain that would probably never leave his eyes. 

The elevator stopped and she dropped her hand in surprise, realizing that she had forgotten to panic. Pepper dragged Tony out of the elevator, too quick for him to make it awkward but Auria struggled to find something to say. But Barnes stepped away, turning to exit the elevator and she followed, perhaps a bit unsteady. He stopped abruptly in front of her and she nearly bumped into him. She lightly nudged him in aggravation as she stepped around him only to freeze in shock. 

Every screen in the tower was lit up with a picture. It showed a girl in a white room, a metal collar around her neck that was chained to the white floor. She was wearing a thin hospital gown that did nothing to hide the way her bones stuck out of her unnaturally thin body, framed by wide dull wings forced open by metal clasps. You could see the blood smeared in places on the ruffled feathers, some bent and broken. Her hair was shaved short, making her angled face seem even more corpselike, and only her burning grey eyes showed any signs of life. 

It was Auria. 

Scrolled in under the picture like some kind of mockery of a news marquee were the words: 

Experiment GX00753 scheduled for termination for flawed genetics. Escaped after murdering countless employees. Highly dangerous. Retrieval for reprogramming or euthanization a high priority. 

The blood in Auria's veins felt as if it froze, her face going numb as she read the words over and over and over again. She distantly heard Tony curse as he typed away at the computers, attempting to either get rid of the image or trace it she wasn't sure but Pepper had her hand pressed over her mouth, and her eyes seemed to well with tears. Barnes had stiffened beside her, and she wasn't sure if he was even breathing. Now that she thought of it, she wasn't, and she let out all of her breath at once, moving forward mechanically.

"So, technically it is me," Auria told them and Stark cursed again, not amused. Pepper seemed to move towards her, wanting to comfort her but a look from Auria made her stay where she was. She was still numb, but now the skin crawled down her back as she looked at the girl she used to be. At who she really was, and it seemed couldn't ever escape. 

"Shit," Stark suddenly intoned, but this time she noticed because he leapt towards her. She jerked away, realizing that he had only come to stand beside her, although way to close to her personal space. 

"Someone's coming through. I can shut them down, or I can accept their call with a very Avenger's welcome. I'm already tracing them either way. What do you want to do?" he asked her, brown eyes burning intensely and she swallowed thickly as she realized he was leaving it up to her. That he was helping her. 

"I actually have something I want to say to them. Let it through."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry its a bit short and rough! I had this chapter written, and then it got deleted. I hate re-writing chapters! But y'all are so wonderful, and I got amazing reviews so I sucked it up and did it! Thank you so much :)


	12. The Doctor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Happyritas :) Thank you for the amazing comments!

Auria strode forward taking charge as she stood in the middle of the room in front of the giant conference screen. 

"Mr.Stark it would probably be best if Ms. Potts left the room. If they make contact, she will be in danger," Auria turned to tell the surprised man. 

"Pepper," Tony started but the woman stopped him with a glance. Then she faced Auria, face stern and confident.

"Honey, I'm dating Tony Stark. I'm always in danger. I also have the best possible over protective super hero boyfriend as my bodyguard. Not to mention living with the Avengers. I'm not going anywhere," Pepper told her firmly but even her confidence didn't quite manage to reasure Auria. 

Her gaze didn't waver however and Auria knew that she wasn't going anywhere, and so she nodded, conceding. She knew she was a strong woman, and she made her own choices. That was something Auria could respect. 

"Um, one sec. You attached to this shirt?" Auria asked Bucky and he slowly blinked at the random question. 

"No," he answered simply and she nodded handing him one of her knives. He stared at it for a moment, before raising an eyebrow at her.

"You asking me to cut off your clothes? Seems a bit forward of you," He told her and she rolled her eyes, turning so her back was to him.

"Quickly please," she asked him and she shivered as he hesitated. She couldn't see him, but she could feel the heat of him and hear his soft breathing as he held her knife behind her turned back. But then he gently tugged the fabric, slicing through it quickly before feeling for her other wing and then doing the same. She shrugged her shoulders, tugging the fabric up to slide the top of her wings through and he pulled the shirt over the tips as they got caught.

"Thanks," she told him, not quite looking at him as she took her knife back and put it back in its sheathe on her arm. She moved back to the front stretching her wings before settling them on her back.

She heard Pepper gasp but didn't turn to look as she schooled her expression. Then she reached up and brushed her hair foward, it was the smallest act of rebellion but it felt powerful after the years of letting it grow out after it being shaved. It showed that she was free. 

Then the screen flickered to life, and a man stared straight at her, his cold blue eyes intensly boring into her own. And then he looked away, dismissing her as he looked over the gathered group. He focused on Tony, eyes calculating as he saw Pepper next to him and he was about to speak when Auria opened her wings with a snap. She blocked his view, dragging his eyes back to her and she only closed them half way, arching them as a hawk would over its prey. It was clearly a threat. 

"Hello, Doctor," she greeted coldly and his lips twisted into dissaproval. He seemed an ordinary man, dark hair swept back and thin wire glasses perched on his nose. In his labcoat you could mistake him for a physician, someone you would go to for help. But there was no sympathy in his gaze, no compassion in the hard planes of his face. He was all angles and sharp edges, thin lips and cold eyes.

"I assume you are not going to return GX00753. I have contacted the Avengers in the hope that they recognize the dangerous flawed weapon in their midst and will return it to the people who can properly handle it," the man replied and from behind her Auria heard Stark about angrily come to her defense. She fluttered her wings, cutting him off and keeping the doctors attention.

"Wow, did you have to practice that? Seriously, those numbers are hard to rattle off. You do realize you attacked the Avengers tower? Avengers? As in, they avenge, and you just hacked into their tower?" Auria asked, voice thick with disbelief and condescension. Stark snorted behind her, evidenlty approving of her sass.

"I see. Still in possession of the protective nature that was the cause of the assignment's failure, along with the rampant disobedience. If those were the only flaws we found we could have properly trained still, broken it out of the weapon until all that was left was flawless . We both know that they were not the only ones, however," he replied, voice lowering threateningly and Auria could practically feel Barnes go into what she was now dubbing assasin mode. 

"Of course not. We both know we struggled with more than that. How is your daughter Laura, Doctor Handell?" Auria asked coolly and the man's face twisted into a macabre mask of horror and fury.

"You won't touch her!" Doctor Handell shrieked slamming his hands in front of him on what sounded like a metal desk as he brought his face closer to the camera. Auria's hands shook at the bloodthirsty haze she saw behind his eyes. She had seen it many times before.

"Of course not, Doc. But I've known about her for the past four years and she is perfectly safe. What does that tell you about the monster you created?" Auria asked him forcefully, wings whipping with her fury and she didn't try to contain them. Make him look at who she was. 

"Simply that I was correct when I said it was a failure. How ineffective, but I have proof that is not alwasy the case is it? Would you like me to show them why they need to return the monster in their midst? " he asked her, his voice deathly calm. It made her blood boil in fury and in terror.

"First of all, you should be careful when using the word monster. A few members on my team have been wrongly adressed that way and we don't take it well," she heard a strong voice ring out from behind her, and soon Steve was striding forward.

He was still dressed casually, but his face was hard as he stared at the man on screen and it was the first time she had seen him use his real Captain America voice. His shield was loosley gripped in his right hand. As he moved foward Bucky moved to walk on his left, slightly behind him. 

Steve stopped by her side, shoulders pushed back and feet sat apart as he gripped his shield in front of him, every inch a soldier. He nodded at her and she felt the fear that they would believe Handell, that they would see that everything he said was true, slowly slip away. 

Handell's face controted once more, but this time it was in fury as he took in Steve's respectful greeting. He glared at the soldier, but Steve didn't even blink at the expression on his face. He had faced worse. 

"GX00753 is our rightful property, soldier," Handell told him angrily, using the adress as if it was a slur.

"The way I see it, slavery has been illegal in the United States quite some time, and I don't see us turning her over to you any time soon. Actually, I would start worrying about getting our attention. I don't like what I see doctor, and she is right. We are the Avengers," Steve told him and Handell seemed about to explode with rage. Handell sneered at the man whose blue eyes were now steely, turning his gaze back to Auria and she instinctively opened her wings wider in challenge as she lifted her chin.

"This will not change anything. In fact, I think I'd be scared. It would be smart if you left before your new friends found out what you really are," Handell told her and she took a step forward.

"They already figured out who you really are. So, I think you're the one who needs to be scared. You are never ever going to touch me again. And if you do, well. We both know what I'm capable of, don't we? " Auria asked him, a dangerous darkness in her voice, and the screen went black on his spluttering blotchy face before he could reply. They turned to find Strak smirking.

"What? I thought that was quite the parting line," Stark told them and Auria found her lips twisitng into a smile. 

"Well, now I understand why you hate doctors. My skin will not stop crawling," Stark told them with an exxagerated shiver but Auria turned away, searching for Barnes. His face was blank, hands clenched at his sides and now she could see the bare silver hand. 

"Yeah," she said simply, pretty sure there was someone else in the room who understood way too well. She considered reaching for him, letting him know that it was okay, but she didn't move. Steve leaned against him instead and she sighed in relief as Barnes rolled his eyes at his large friend, shoving him away. Then she frowned, turning to find Stark's eyes. 

"Handell is determined, but he isn't that stupid. He knows exactly who you are, he had to know this would never work. You aren't suppose to expose yourself and he did it willingly, this was either him completely ignoring all of the rules, or else a ploy to get something else besides me ," she told them and Stark considered questioning that statement about him being stupid when he saw how serious he was. 

"Then what did he want?" Stark asked her, his eyes narrowing as he considered his own question and she saw the way his forehead furrowed considering what the Doctor could have gotten.

"I don't know," Auria answered truthfully, shivering as she considered the people she was now sharing the room with. A super soldier. A billionaire genius superhero and the most important person in his life. An assassin. Every single one of them would be something that he wanted. And he had logged into their tower and seen them because of her, noticed how they reacted. 

"But he isn't going to get it," Auria finished firmly, and this time when her wings snapped angrily it was unintentional, simply a reaction. Everyone watched it, intrigued or worried, or in Barnes case wary. He could see the look on her face, and it was one he recognized from Steve. Her face was hard, eyes steady and dark. 

It meant she was determined and she wasn't going to give up even if it killed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, if it is short or wonky, I got a wonderful review and I simply wanted to update! Tell me what you think :)


	13. It

The next few minutes were a rush of confusion as Auria made herself at home, settling in at a computer before anyone thought to stop her.

"Do you mind?" Auria asked pointlessly since she was already typing away but Tony only hovered over her shoulder for a moment before he too moved help. Pepper nodded at them, kissing Tony on the cheek, before returning to the elevator already on the phone. Whoever was on the other end were not having a good day.

Steve seemed suddenly bereft as he stood in the middle of the bustling room, with no one around for him to threaten he wasn't quite sure what to do, but he didn't want to leave. Bucky had moved to watch the room, face stoic and composed. But if you knew him better you could see the way his jaw clenched the barest bit, the way it had when he was deployed and he wasn't sure if he was coming home.

His crossed arms might come across as more casual but Steve could see that his hands were clenched as if he was physically holding himself back from something. Even his breathing was slowed down, the way Steve had taught him how to do whenever he first came home and he wasn't even Bucky anymore. He had slowly came back to Steve, piece by broken piece and he was still struggling with the memories. But that's all they were, memories, and although that was bad enough Steve could always tell him it was over.

Now it wasn't. Bucky had just seen a man that would not hesitate to perform atrocities, not one of them that had held him in Hydra or even worked for the same people, but it was if it was Hydra all over again except in name. How was Steve supposed to tell Bucky it was okay when it so obviously wasn't?

Steve's shield was held loosely by his side, but he couldn't find it in him to put it up or move away. Bucky looked at him then, raising his dark eyebrows over tired eyes that still somehow seemed to convey a question and a pointed chastisement. He was shaken, but somehow in a way that hardened him instead of leaving him stumbling like before.

Steve scowled at his bossy best friend's silent rebuke for worrying, but he couldn't help but smile when he moved to stand by Bucky's side, bumping him in the shoulder and helping him watch. Steve knew better than to interrupt the argument that Tony seemed to be having by himself, only small interjections that mainly seemed to consist of a firm 'no' coming from Auria. Suddenly Tony threw up his hands before taking hold of the chair that Auria had dropped into and claimed.

"You deal with her," Tony exclaimed, before he spun her chair around, shoving her away from his screens and towards Steve and Bucky. She glared back at him, which he completely ignored, before facing the amused pair of man now waiting for her explanation.

"So, if I introduce you to my hacker friend via video chat will you please promise to be nice and not trace, track, or attempt to find them, Captain?" Auria asked and Steve's eyebrows rose, looking up to find Tony scowling down at her head.

"Do you even know what video chat is? You have to remember that they are senior citizens, technology escaped them at times," Tony prodded, the perfect opening to tease them lessening his sour mood and Steve rolled his eyes.

"You know full well, we know what it is, Stark, how long are you going to keep on with the grandpa jokes?" Bucky asked and Steve sighed, knowing it was futile to fight it.

"Until the both of you really are grandpas and then they are genuine all over again. Don't worry if you had a sense of humor, tin man, you'd know I was funny," Tony told him with an exaggerated shrug. Steve stiffened at the name, and he could feel the urge to get furious feel him as Bucky scoffed at his side.

"I think you're the tin man, Stark. He was on the quest to find a heart, after all," Bucky retorted and Tony winked at him, tapping the arc reactor that softly glowed through the material of his t-shirt.

"I made one. So much more effective," Tony told him before Auria let out a loud long sigh, interrupting their banter. They looked at the girl, now pointedly looking at each of them in turn as if to remind them she was there.

"Can we please decide if I can go ahead and message her? Because I am seriously not staying here for longer than necessary, and if the esteemed Doctor Handell is interested, it would be best to get rid of that interest as soon as possible. So? Will you please make the executive decision to keep Stark out of my business?" Auria asked Steve and Tony rolled his eyes.

"First of all, are you forgetting that you broke in? Second, that's not really how this team works, more of a collaborative effort and all, and thirdly, I'm not really sure you are just really annoying. Your hacker friend broke through three walls I thought impenetrable, and then wiped every trace of being in the system. That should be impossible," Tony told them, waving his hand in the air as if gesturing to the building at whole which he might be.

The entire building was basically an extension of his computer, and through that him. Steve new that no matter how nonchalant he seemed he must be anxious at the thought of someone being able to just break in. It probably terrified him.

"I thought we got past the whole breaking and entering thing. I got some band aids, we had a nice talk where I gave you my intimate heartbreaking backstory and now we're basically best friends Stark. You can braid my hair sometime. You can not try to contact or trace the others unless you want me to rip this place apart. Yes, you could easily kill me. But yes, I would do an incredible amount of damage in the meantime," Auria snapped, running her hand through her hair as she stood to be on eyelevel.

Although she was threatening them, and her eyes were flashing angrily, and all together she wasn't someone to be trusted, Steve was stopped from replying by one fact. Her hand was shaking. She crossed her arms across her chest. She glared at Steve as well, including Bucky in the harsh look, which really wasn't fair, but then again Steve didn't think Auria ever really had a chance to learn what fair was.

"Okay. Do it," Steve told her and Tony gaped at him. Auria let out her breath in a rush, visibly relieved, and that reassured Steve more than anything.

"But," he added and she watched him warily, as if expecting that there would be something else, something that she wouldn't like, or that he wouldn't keep his word. She tilted her chin up, challengingly and defiant.

"This is about trust. For the time being we are going to respect you since you told us the truth. If we learn that you did not tell us the truth or that you are a danger, we will not hesitate to stop you," Steve told her and she blinked as if surprised. She nodded easily, letting her arms drop back to her sides and Steve saw her look to Bucky who nodded. Steve was surprised to see her smile at him assured. It was barely there, just the ghost of an expression but it was in reply to Bucky's assurance and it made Steve's eyes widen. He stared at Bucky beside him, who studiously ignored him for a moment before he rolled his eyes and glared back at him.

"You wanna say something, Rogers?" Bucky asked gruffly and it was almost as if it wasn't years in the future after they had been through hell. They could have back in Brooklyn, Bucky acting prickly at being caught being emotional even though he could tell Steve could see right through it anyway. Steve grinned, the expression wider and more natural than it had been in a while and Bucky punched him in the shoulder, before shrugging his shoulders.

It was a simple gesture but it meant so many things. That Steve should shut up, it wasn't like that. That he didn't even know what it was. That it was messed up and confusing and for some reason it just was. Steve still smirked, some part of him he hadn't even realized was scared breaking open in relief at the realization that Bucky was going to be okay. He had made social contact and even friendships with the team of course. But that was almost necessary, was through Steve, but whatever trust was happening with Auria had happened completely on his own. He was choosing to care, and to protect, someone on his own and it made Steve happier than he could even describe.

"Shut up, punk," Bucky told him sternly.

"I didn't say anything, Buck," Steve told him innocently but he was still grinning.

"Yeah, you did," Bucky replied and Steve laughed, the sound catching the attention of Auria and Tony. Tony smirked, eyes crinkling the tiniest bit at the corner like it did when he was actually happy about something. Auria smiled as well, but it was barely there, her eyes still cautious. Her wings lay still at her back.

"We're ready," Auria called and Steve and Bucky moved forward to stand beside the small screen they were using instead of the enormous one.

"Okay, so, she is a really big fan. Sorry," Auria told them, blushing hotly and Steve watched her in amusement before the screen flickered to life, a dark skinned curly bundle of energy squealing loudly and she cringed. Steve's mouth dropped open as he stared at the brown eyes now darting from person to person, taking turns staring at them in awe. She was a little girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, sorry guys, I know this is short! But its something! 
> 
> Now, I just want y'all to know that I write and then post. The editing is nonexistent, so if you see a problem tell me and I'll fix it!
> 
> Thank you :) I'll try to make it up to you in the next chapter ;)


	14. Nudge, or 'Crystal'

"What the hell?!" Tony exclaimed and the girl's eyes focused on him in glee.

"Tony Stark! I am so excited, I cannot believe that I convinced Max to let me do this, I am such a big fan of yours, and I am so very sorry about the whole breaking in thing, but you can't even imagine, well yes you can! Because you’re Iron Man too! That is so awesome by the way, I mean it wasn't enough to be a genius you had to go help save the world! And its Captain America, I am a big fan of yours too, and hello there handsome, I will learn your name later. Auria you are really with the Avengers!" the girl exclaimed, mouth excitedly running so fast Steve could barely catch up before it ended in another squeal. 

Now that he was over the shock, he could tell that she was more of a teenager than a little girl, but that didn't keep his eyes from focusing on Tony's face and enjoying his lost expression with no small amount of pleasure. His eyes nearly bulged from his head as he tried to reconcile the genius hacker with the squealing teeny bopper before him and it was enough to make Steve snicker. Bucky had awkwardly shuffled under her unabashed appreciation, but his trademark smirk stretched across his face. 

"Yeah, Crystal, I am. Obviously you already know Tony Stark, and Steve Rogers, and this is Lieutenant Bucky Barnes. Now, will you please quit fangirling and work your computer magic? That is why you wanted to help isn't it?" Auria drawled pointedly but the girl, Crystal? only rolled her eyes. 

"Auri, you couldn’t have expected me to see three of the most wonderful and handsome men in existence and not say hello? You really thought I could, you think so highly of me, I'm touched really, but I'm a fan girl at heart. So, which one of you is willing to sit through a round of only slightly invasive personal questions detailing everything I’ve ever wondered about you?" Nudge enthusiastically asked them, but her fingers had started to quickly move before her. Her mouth didn't slow as her eyes flickered from whatever screen she was watching to flutter her eyelashes at them. Auria actually chuckled, leaning back slightly in her chair.

"I'd go with, Stark. But really, crazy lunatic scientist on the loose? Prioritize please?" Auria reprimanded, but it came out amused instead of stern. Steve Rogers had looked positively alarmed. 

"When will there ever be a time when there isn't a crazy lunatic scientist on the loose? I am prioritizing! I have run into many of these psychopaths, and this is the first time I have ever been able to talk to the Avengers," Nudge told her and Auria had to admit that she did have a point.

"Wait, wait, wait, you’re telling me that Kim Possible here is the one that hacked into my system through three layers of encrypted firewalls and deceptions, not to mention every single code that I hired a team of highly illegal geniuses to try and break? They all failed!” Tony abruptly asked, gesturing wildly before running his hands through his hair. Auria blinked at him in surprise but Nudge was suddenly excited, turning to look at him.

"I heard about that!" she exclaimed which once again left the genius gaping. 

"I mean, of course I had to pass the encrypted code that invited people to try but that was the week that Max, oops, oh yeah, y'all already know about Max, anyway, Max told me I couldn't do it. It would look suspicious if a twelve year old applied and then our existence would be on the radar or whatever. But really I can take college classes at fourteen? Isn't that just as suspicious?" Nudge was telling them and Auria could already tell that Bucky was starting to shut down from the overload of information and Steve's eyes were starting to glaze over. Tony seemed to be the only one handling it well, but he was still scowling, the wheels in his head turning quickly behind his dark eyes as he figured out whatever Nudge had inadvertently told him.

"How are your classes going, Motormouth?" Auria asked, interjecting the question into their exchange before Nudge could keep going. It was the only way to be part of a conversation with the girl, if you waited for your turn you would never get a chance. This was more like redirecting the monologue instead of having a conversation but Auria had never really minded. She enjoyed that Nudge could just keep up a continuous stream of words with her just like she could with anyone, no matter whenever Auria had nothing to say. She never stopped to second guess who she was talking to.

"Oh, they’re fine, Max made me stop sending in my assignments early and, um, you know someone else, took over sending in my computer assignments instead of letting me finish them in three seconds. I just completed the class and made a file for them to send in assignments at a 'regular pace' but everything is so easy! I swear I would go crazy if I didn't peak at some of the upper classes lectures, one of those were Ms. Potts actually, Tony, can I call you Tony? She is brilliant, I love her so much, and she is one of my role models. Not only does she hold herself with a complete goddess like poise and beauty she has complete control over one of the most powerful companies in the world. She was a guest speaker for a class over economics and managing the interior structure of company logistics and the impact every decision has on the stability of your shares," Nudge told Tony and like anything to do with Pepper it made him beam, pleased and more than anything proud. 

Auria noted the respectful titles that never seemed to pass any of the bird kids lips with slight surprise. It would seem that no matter how boy crazy she was she was awestruck by the CEO. Which made Auria proud, because Nudge might be a fashion loving chatterbox teenage girl but she had a brain in her head. And it seemed like she wasn't going to stop using it just because of some handsome faces.

"What was your favorite part of her lecture?" Stark asked, obviously probing her to see if she had actually understood, and Auria scowled at him protectively. Nudge didn't seem to notice however, she lit up at the fact that she was actually discussing the Pepper Potts with the Tony Stark. 

"Everything was brilliant of course! But surprisingly my favorite part had to be about how loyalty, from each singular employee to the different portions of your company, actually affected the productivity as a whole. I'm a double fashion and computer sciences major so I didn't think it would be so interesting to learn about but it really was the way she talked about it," Nudge told him, and Auria would have been upset that they were talking instead of searching for the doctors location, except that something popped up at that moment, making Stark move forward with surprise and open it up.

He quickly started going through it, making a small chuckle as Nudge lit up and moved to type once more. Auria had absolutely no idea what they were doing but the screen was quickly filled with numbers and diagrams. Some of them were immediately dismissed but other were made larger and tweaked before sending them on, the two throwing things back and forth so quickly that Auria had hardly blinked before the next thing had come up. 

Nudge started to frown, leaning forward intensely, and for once not talking but that’s because she was talking with her fingers, with her mind, through the computer. Auria was surprised to see that the energy in which the girl was usually consumed seemed so easily converted into numbers. Stark easily held up, quickly sweeping his arm in a wide gesture that threw the charts into the air, blue holographic lights making Auria gasp but he didn’t seem to notice, only continue working with a feverish like concentration. 

Every now and then he would mumble in surprise, or curse in under his breath. He nearly vibrated with energy, captured in whatever complicated dance they were having through the technology at their fingertips. It seemed Nudge had finally found someone who spoke her real language. 

"Um, does anyone else know what is happening?" Auria asked the two men still by her side as they watched Tony and Nudge mutter about things that seemed like gibberish to her but they had no problem understanding. Steve rubbed his forehead before shrugging eloquently, transferring his shield to his left hand. 

She watched it with something that felt like awe for a moment because she was really here, talking casually with Captain America, the hero she had read about, all of the great things he did and people he saved. But she quickly shrugged it off, reminding herself why she had never really cared about the Avengers the way that Nudge or the boys seemed to. They had never saved them after all. 

"I hate to admit it where he might hear me but Tony really is a genius. I've figured out my smartphone and the internet, but he starts talking about something beyond that and I slowly lose my mind," Steve admitted, and Bucky snorted, laughing at the sulky way Steve seemed to mope.

"He doesn't give himself nearly enough credit. He can follow along, hell, he can complete some of the crap they talk about on missions when he needs to get into the computers. I just figured out Netflix," Barnes told her and Steve seemed to duck his head the tiniest bit, pleased by his friends praise and embarrassed by it at the same time. He wasn't one to stand by and let Bucky sell himself short however and he quickly elbowed Bucky in the side.

"Hey, considering you've only been working on technology for a couple of months you are doing great, Bucky," Steve told him, and his eyes softened with the unavoidable words that seemed to be added onto everything anyone ever said about him these days. Since what you've been through, didn't really need to be spoken. 

"You boys have me beat, I just do whatever that fabulous glittery genius tells me to do. I had to toss the last computer I used at an Eraser because I wasn't quite sure how to delete all of my history. Which technically is just being thorough although the librarian didn't really understand that," Auria confessed seriously and Steve seemed caught between alarmed and amused. Bucky was just amused. She smiled at him, caught by the way his lips tilted up and his eye seemed to brighten. 

"Got it! Can I keep you? I'll feed you three times a day and take you for walks and all that jazz you are supposed to do with children," Tony announced, and Auria whipped around, rising from her seat and making it beside Tony before anyone could react. 

"Shut up, Stark," Auria told him simply, and although it wasn't harsh it was icy in a way that made his hands tighten reflexively as if he was in the suit. 

"Auria, it's fine, he was just kidding. He was trying to make a joke, he doesn't really think I should be treated like a pet. I'm also not four, I know he isn't going to go all daddy Warbucks. And I'm not exactly orphan Annie," Nudge reassured her, and Auria exhaled, backing away from the man and moving closer to focus on the girl. She really had grown up, and that was just since Auria had met her a couple of years ago. 

"We found it, well, Tony found it, although I could've done it by myself it would have taken like weeks. He left traces back to South Dakota, so that’s new, although it was heavily encrypted and the signal was bounced around making it impossible to narrow it down from its specific source, we know the general area. Miles to cover, but I'm sure Max wouldn't mind helping-"

"No," Auria interrupted sharply, making the younger girl sigh.

"Look, I will do it. No need to get anyone else involved. It was me. This is focused on me, and now the Avengers. Not anyone else, and no one else is going to be put in danger because of it," Auria told her firmly and Auria held up her hand before Nudge could argue.

"No. Especially not Max," Auria told her, giving her a pointed look and holding her defiant eyes before Nudge looked away, drooping in defeat.

"Fine. Be careful, be safe. And call me if you need absolutely anything. You aren't really alone you know, not anymore," Nudge told her and Auria tried to give her a smile. It was more of a grimace, and so she quit trying. 

"I know. Thank you, for everything. Call me if you need anything," Auria told her and Nudge rolled her eyes.

"That totally works both ways, you have got to get over this complex. You basically forced me to go to school but when was the last time you did anything because you wanted to?" Nudge asked and Auria moved forward, fingers hovering over the keys.

"Not a therapy session. Bye," Auria told her gruffly, but the farewell was kind as she waited for Nudge to reply before pushing the button and closing the window. She sighed before sitting and quickly exiting out of everything that Nudge had opened, trying to catch any stray leads that Tony could follow back to her. After what she had just seen however, she was certain no matter what she did he could figure it out if he wanted to. She knew that Nudge could handle herself, but that didn't stop Auria from trying.  
"Hey!" Tony exclaimed as he watched her but it was only halfhearted. 

"Thanks for all the help, Stark, but I've got this," Auria told him before standing, moving to stride back out of the room. Steve moved in front to stop her before she could and her wings flared in alarm and surprise. Everyone’s eyes followed them in astonishment and she stilled them, snapping her head up to glare and make them look away.

"What?" she snarled, the tone reflexive from being exposed and startled but it didn't faze Rogers at all. He watched her steadily, blue eyes firm but kind in a way that made Auria want to shrink away in shame.

"You aren't going alone. This involves us as well now," Captain America told her, and Auria could see the way he held himself so firm and steady. It was the way Max stood whenever she had first met her, wings spread as she faced down Auria with the Flock behind her. 

"It won't the moment I leave," Auria told him, still certain, even in the face of his strong determination but then Barnes was moving to stand beside him. 

"You can't know that, it was pretty apparent that he had to work hard to get in here. He wanted the Avengers, not just you. You are just the excuse," Barnes told her brusquely, but it made Auria drop her head in acknowledgement. It was true, it was her fault, and even if she left that didn't mean he would stop. 

"I'll stop him," Auria told them passionately, lifting her head and striding to move through them but they didn't budge, forcing her to stop and leaving her far too close.   
"We'll stop him, that's what we do, Auria," Steve told her but Auria tossed her head back in a harsh laugh that was empty of any amusement.

"No, that's what I do, Steve Rogers," Auria told him sharply and this time they let her shove passed them. They watched her go, Steve giving Bucky a helpless look. He wasn't use to people not wanting him to save the day. Auria went into the elevator without looking back, and the doors slid closed behind her. It didn't move though, the AI holding it and Bucky wondered how soon Auria regretted her angry decision to get back into it. 

"Well, I'll let you handle that then," Steve told him, slapping his shoulder and moving back towards Tony, which told Bucky more than anything exactly how much Steve didn't want to go with him.

"Stevie," Bucky asked but he only grinned at him over his shoulder, the mischievous annoyingly smug grin he remembered whenever he got into trouble even though Bucky had told him not too.

"I've got to talk to Tony! Avengers business with the new psychopath and all. Don't worry about it, I'll catch you up whenever you calm down Auria," Steve told him and Bucky glared at his retreating back. He could still pummel him, at least a little bit. But then he sighed, feeling his muscles tighten and loosen in his shoulders as he made his way to the elevator. 

When it opened he found Auria with her arms wrapped around her middle and clutching her arms defensively in front of her. Her fingers trailed over the hilt of her knife, the same way a child would pet its toy for comfort, and her eyes were sharp the moment they caught sight of him. She was definitely panicking. 

"Max?" Bucky asked, and her eyes narrowed. Not the best distraction tactic then. The elevator started moving, taking them back to their floor now that Bucky was with the ‘prisoner’. Really, the way she took charge and practically did whatever she wanted didn’t promise real prisoner treatment but that really was for the best.

“South Dakota,” he tried again and this time she sighed, tilting her head back to lean against the back of the elevator. Her muscles loosened as her forehead creased, staring up at the ceiling as if it had the answers she was looking for.

“Yes,” she replied simply and he moved to lean next to her. Her eyes cut to watch him for a moment but after all he did was stand next to her she relaxed once more. Bucky had learned patience after all of his trials, at least that was something, and so he waited for her to speak. He knew how hard it was sometimes.

“I meant it, I don’t need anyone’s help,” Auria finally said and Bucky nodded, crossing his arm as well. He tapped his fingers against his left arm, the smooth metal in under his sleeve hard against his fingertips. Auria turned to watch him but he didn’t answer. 

“What?” she finally asked, not quite able to wait out his silence and he felt the corner of his mouth involuntarily twitch up the barest bit. 

“Just because you think you don’t need help, doesn’t mean you’re not going to get it. Steve is stubborn like that,” Bucky told her and she sighed, rubbing her forehead as if this was giving her a headache. 

“He never helped me before, no one has,” she uttered spitefully, but her eyes widened as if she didn’t mean to say it out loud. He felt as if someone had punched him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Her lips thinned as she pressed them tightly together, turning to face away and hide her face, but he could see her knuckles turn white where they gripped her arm so tight. It would probably leave bruises. 

“So, that’s why you don’t want his help now?” Bucky asked amenably as if nothing had changed from the moment he stepped into the elevator and they weren’t tense and emotional. She visibly swallowed before answering him, her voice cool and distant.

“No. I simply do not require anyone else’s involvement,” Auria told him, and the elevator chose that moment to arrive at their floor. She gracefully stood, striding out the door and down the hallway before he could think of anything to say. He mentally sighed before following. 

“Well, get ready to load up. Because we’re all going,” Bucky called after her, and he saw her gait hesitate before she continued walking. This was going to be fun, he thought sarcastically, rubbing his head. Now he had two of them to chase around and make sure they didn’t get themselves killed.


	15. Getting Ready to Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mean to make this so long, but I needed to update, so sorrrrry!   
> I'll try to move the story along!

Auria glared fiercely at each piece of clothing Bucky put on, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t because she admired how handsome he was in a t-shirt. He zipped up the leather jacket, black of course, and pulled his glove back on wondering why he felt so comfortable in what was basically an assassins clothes. 

But it settled him, felt real and reliable, and these days he was more into tagging along on Steve’s missions and making sure he didn’t get himself killed. It made it worth it, putting it to good use. He wasn’t officially part of the team, but once everyone learned to trust him, at least where Steve was concerned, well, he might as well be. He pulled out his weapons, surreptitiously glancing at Auria to see her reaction but she didn’t seem scared, just annoyed. 

Her look only intensified when he started going over his weapons, checking each edge on his blades and swiftly took his gun apart before reassembling it. He calmly ignored her, and now that he was ready he was sure Steve would be on his way, so he moved around her to pull out Steve’s uniform. He looked it over quickly, an expert eye noting any flaw in the material. It had need patching up after Steve dove off of a building mid explosion last mission, and he wanted to make sure it was in good shape now. 

Bucky had made sure that Steve had heard about that one for a while, but his uniform was fixed up like new and so Bucky sat it out, placing his helmet beside it. Steve’s skull was thick, but the stubborn punk wasn’t invincible, no matter what everyone thought, and so Bucky looked that over too. Bucky heard the door open, soft steady steps heralding Steve’s arrival. Bucky watched as Auria glanced over her shoulders, somehow hearing it although Bucky could barely register it himself. Interesting. 

“Tony is getting the jet ready,” Steve told them simply as he entered and Auria rolled her eyes heavenwards. Steve gave her his sweet love me smile as he picked up his uniform, making her glare and stride out of the room muttering about annoying soldiers that don’t listen. Bucky grinned at his best friend, now ducking his head but his hands never slowed down. 

“Who’s going?” Bucky asked and Steve grinned back at him, the cheeky smirk that made you want to simultaneously punch him and give him a hug. Steve undressed quickly, not even a second thought of embarrassment as he answered his friend. 

They had lived together long before Bucky could actually remember, but these days he could clearly remember scenes from the army. Always him and Steve, and never a shred of awkwardness. He hadn’t even been thrown when he saw his suit laid out for him, only thanked Bucky with a sardonic but warm look that knew it would be useless to fight Bucky’s mothering. 

“Stark, you and I, and our newest feathery friend,” Steve told him and Bucky nodded. It would have been nice to have Natasha or Clint as back up, although Clint usually watched him like a hawk, pun fully intended, but they hadn’t returned yet from whatever mission was deemed dire enough for the Avengers’ spies. 

The newest recruits would have been decent to have as well. They each had their strengths, but they were on their own practice mission, one that was necessary for someone to handle but Steve felt was safe enough that he could delegate. He was overly protective of their newest members, especially the twins. Pietro’s return to health had been miraculous but slow, his super human speed evidently also lending itself to super human healing, but it only went so far. 

“Just like old times huh, Bucky?” Steve asked him, eyes twinkling as he slid his shield on his back, the quick move second nature. Bucky snorted as he followed Steve out their room, watching his Captain America helmet sway loosely from his hand. 

“Not quite, this time the obnoxious Stark can fly,” Bucky told him and Steve laughed, a genuine laugh that was surprised out of him at Bucky actually making a flippant joke, before his eyes fell on the girl now standing in their living room. 

She had three knives laid out perfectly before her on their coffee table, and had pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail, but it was the stern look on her face that stilled their mirth and brought them abruptly back to the mission. Her arms were crossed behind her back, left hand gripping her wrist as her feet stood slightly apart, obviously a resting position of a soldier or a fighter. It was the same one she had taken earlier. 

“If you insist on coming you need to be prepared,” Auria told them and Bucky felt himself straighten in response to her commanding tone. He wasn’t surprised to see Steve do the same, soldier instinct responding to what sounded suspiciously like orders.

“Now, where’s Stark” She asked, and Bucky was surprised to see her look up to address the A.I.

“Mr. Stark is presently at the takeoff platform but I will inform him you wish to see him, Miss Auria,” The computer responded to both Bucky’s and Steve’s surprise. It had taken for ever for the newest A.I to be that accommodating for them.

“Thank you, Friday, that is very kind,” Auria addressed the ceiling once more, and the lights tinged slightly pink as if in an effort to convey happiness or a blush. Auria smiled sweetly, nodding once more in gratitude, and it was only a minute or two before Tony sauntered through the door.

“Feathers can call meetings now?” Tony asked as soon as he was sure they could hear him, and Bucky sighed. Auria merely raised an eyebrow. 

“Indeed. Now that we are all here, let us continue. Lesson one, you cannot have qualms about fighting, and if the necessity arises, killing children,” she told them coldly and it felt as if the temperature dropped, everyone stilling at the easy way she said it. 

The smirk had fallen from Tony’s face, careless attitude dropping away as easy as he donned it, leaving the hero so few got to see. It was these small glimpses of him that made Bucky actually like him as a teammate, just as much as his sense of humor endeared him to him as a person. When it wasn’t off-putting that was. Now he was serious, dark eyes focused on the young woman in a slightly darker way than Steve’s lit up in righteousness at the cruelty. Bucky simply felt cold, because although he wanted to say that he wouldn’t do it, couldn’t even imagine it, he didn’t lie anymore. 

“And this is why I wanted to go alone,” Auria told them after a moment of silence, and she took a moment to look at each of their reactions letting them gauge her words for themselves. Steve almost glowered at her but she continued unabashed. 

“I’m sorry, but this is the reality of the situation. Most of them will be younger than you will be comfortable with, but that does not mean that they will not kill you if you hesitate. It isn’t fair but if you don’t protect yourself, you’ll fail. I can’t take care of all of you,” Auria told them and Steve’s chin lifted.

“You won’t have to worry about us. But we don’t kill people when we can find another way. We save people,” Steve told her and she felt herself wanting to believe in him, his heroic stance, proud jaw, and conviction in what was right. She smiled sadly.

“You can do your best. But you cannot blame yourself if you can’t win without bloodshed” Auria told him and Steve fought the urge to persuade her, that you could always find a way, that you had to fight for what was right, but the look on her face reminded him of the way Bucky looked at him the first day he had seen him. He had been dirty and starving, layered in hoodies and with a cap low over his eyes but he had come to him, appearing across the street as Steve was walking home. 

He had thought he imagined him at first, he had searched for him for months, still was, and he could barely find a trace, and suddenly he was there, just the shape of his best friend, such a familiar stranger waiting for him. Steve had frozen, chest caving in as he forgot how to breath and then Bucky had looked up, blue eyes catching his and Steve had ran, not noticing the traffic that screamed to a halt. 

It wasn’t until he was across the road that he slowed, logic catching up to him and telling him not to scare him away but Steve had nearly vibrated with the need to grab him and reassure him that he was here, and real, and safe, and never going away again. Instead he had smiled at him, eyes watering up the slightest bit as Bucky warily watched him, the way a beaten dog would. Scared but waiting to see if it should bite or run. He thanked God that Bucky had stayed where he was and waited for him.

“Hey, Bucky,” Steve had told him when nothing else came to mind but that seemed to be enough, just enough to be the start of bringing his best friend home, although Bucky later told him he wasn’t really himself for at least a month after that. Even then he says he is worried he never would be, and Steve had looked at him and said he would, that they would fight, and they would win. Bucky had merely watched him with eyes that had seen far too much.

“You can try, but sometimes you can’t win, not the way you want to,” Bucky had told him and now Steve remembered it like a punch to the gut, staring at unearthly grey eyes. 

“We’ll see,” he told her firmly and she smiled the slightest bit. 

“Second, if we find the base, it will have what you consider civilians. Doctors, scientists, whatever. Some of them are fanatical about their so called ‘work’ and will die for it. This is just a warning. I don’t care how you handle them,” Auria told them dismissively and Steve frowned uneasily at Bucky. Even he felt unnerved.

“So how are you going to handle ‘em? I’m guessing the plan’s not soft and gentle like?” Stark asked and Auria’s eyes dropped to her knives. She gently picked one up, but the move wasn’t threatening only contemplative as she ran a finger over the smooth side of the blade before looking up once more.

“No. I don’t really do soft and gentle like. I’m more of a do what is necessary kind of girl,” she told them and Steve frowned.

“I can not go into that facility and let you ruthlessly kill defnesess people. We only do what we have to disarm a threat, not get revenge,” Steve told her and she raised her eyebrows at him.

“What an odd name Avengers is then,” she told them, a bit mockingly but Tony pursed his lips.

“She’s got a point. But beautiful, you don’t want to have to handle the paperwork. Just leave the death count at zero, kick some ass, and let use handle the rest,” Tony told her and she narrowed her eyes at him.

“Third. Anthony Stark, I don’t leave anything to anyone. You are going to accompany me, not the other way around. I don’t work for you, I sure as hell don’t work for SHIELD, and I am going to do this. You wanted to come along, and I’m up for a free ride and a couple extra pair of eyes. I don’t kill people for fun, if that’s what your worried about, but otherwise I am not going to be taking orders and we need to be clear on that now,” Auria told them and Tony seemed both disturbed by her complete disrespect and impressed by her attitude.

“The jet is prepared for take off,” Friday announced, interrupting the tense atmosphere and Auria smiled once more at the ceiling.   
“Let’s go team,” Tony muttered and Auria swiftly collected her other knives, sliding them home quickly.

“Let’s go, then,” Auria agreed, striding from the room and leaving the men to follow her and Bucky wasn’t sure if he was blown away by her complete indifference or bothered by her disruptive behavior. Either way, it left him at a little bit of a loss, but not as much as Steve who seemed to be containing to urge to explode with either righteousness or rage. Probably both, Steve was known to have a righteous rage when someone prodded him, even though he was slow to anger, and it was usually Tony. 

“Think you can watch her?” Steve asked him to Bucky’s surprise and he nodded. 

“Tony is going to get the information, we need to know what this Handell has been up to, but there will be guards at this place. Erasers if what Auria has been telling us is true,” Steve told him, feeling out the new word and Bucky nodded. 

“I’ll need to watch his back, and take out the guards, but I can’t leave her to go off on a rampage,” Steve told him and Bucky smirked at him.

“Shut up, you aren’t going to go off on a rampage and we both know it,” Steve told him and he shrugged. 

“I get the pretty girl. You get Stark, seems fair,” Bucky told him with a wink and Steve groaned as Tony took that opportunity to join the conversation.

“I get uptight and ancient. Neat,” Tony told them and Steve took that as his cue to leave, strolling out of the room and leaving Bucky to be the only one to appreciate Stark’s leer. Bucky chuckled, companionably following Steve with Tony at his side. 

“Not that I don’t appreciate Cap and my bonding time, but you sure you are up to this, Terminator?” Tony asked and Bucky stilled his expression before it could give away his doubt. Although he occasionally reveled in pretending to hate the man, Steve really valued his opinion and his honestly. Bucky did as well, even if he needed to work on his social skills, and that was coming from the brainwashed assassin but he said the things everyone else was scared too and so Bucky took a moment to consider.

“I believe so,” Bucky told him and evidently that was good enough for him because Tony shrugged, giving him a ‘meh’ face before slapping him on the back the way that Auria had not only the day before. Bucky tensed at the impact but loosened up again with an annoyed sigh. 

“Then let’s go have ourselves an adventure. I can’t wait to get my hands on what these lunatics have been up to,” Tony told him and Bucky idly wondered for a moment if that’d be a good idea. Either way, they were about to find out. They were going to confront the scientists that created their winged girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't let Pietro be dead! I'm sorry, but not completely because I loved him :D   
> Also, my only excuse for this, is maybe you are getting to know who the characters are a little better? Love you guys! Thanks for reading!


	16. The Lab

It turned out Auria knew a lot of swear words. Enough to make Steve blush, Tony chuckle and whisper to his AI to record so that he could add some of the new ones to his repertoire, and Bucky. Well, Bucky only raised a sardonic eyebrow at the girl, her delicate structure at odds with the violent words spilling out of her mouth. She had only glared at him, before picking back up on her litany of curses. 

He understood however, they all did, after ten hours straight of searching the countryside they had finally found a base. And it had been empty. They had lowered the door, the gust of freezing air blowing around them and whipping Auria’s long hair around her hard face. Before they could even discuss it or anyone thought to stop her she had stepped forward, slate colored wings snapping open to block the light and leaving her a vengeful silhouette against the stark sky. It was breathtaking.

And then she had fallen, folding her wings the slightest bit to gain speed and she was quickly gone, a quick curse from Steve the only warning before he jumped after her, the strap of his parachute wrapped in his fist instead of secured on his back like a sensible person. Bucky had snorted, already regretting his decisions before following after, his parachute properly tightened, Tony’s smart quip about catching him lost to the wind. 

He quickly caught up to Steve and wrapped his fingers around his collar, holding on to him in the last ditch effort to let his parachute carry them both if Steve didn’t get his own on in time, but Steve’s white grin beamed at him as he slung the straps over his shoulders, pulling the handle and loosening the parachute to stop his fall. 

Bucky released him as it caught the air, flipping him off before turning to face away and pull his on lever. Auria was below them, not waiting for them to catch up she skimmed over the buildings. She was a fast dark winged shape over the snow covered rooftops but she didn’t descend. Soon she was rising, and a frustrated guttural scream reached their ears, sending his skin crawling and the hair on the back of his neck standing up. 

She rocketed upwards, a strong downward stroke of her wings sending her up towards their height before either could react. It was amazing. Her wings were wide, probably an extra foot longer than her arm span for each wing, and they curved gracefully, powerful muscles conquering the air and bringing her to face them. Bucky could only let himself watch her muted fury with something akin to awe, her pinched lips and dark burning eyes framed by wild waving hair making him wonder if heaven really did exist. If angels looked like her than he would want to believe too. Even if she seemed the sort to be an avenging angel, fury and strength in her wake. 

“What is it?” Steve asked, and her upward ascent halted, awkwardly a bit above them but as she stopped rising she fell to below them until her wings beat at the air again.  
“It’s abandoned. The bastards knew we were coming, and before you say it, yes I am going to search every single bloody room anyways,” Auria told them except it was a bit hard to catch the spat out words when she was continually rising and falling. 

“Not really good at hovering are ya?” Tony’s voice asked through their ear pieces and soon the familiar glint off of red and gold heralded Iron Man’s arrival. Auria folded her wings, falling as gravity captured her and rocketing back towards the earth as Iron Man followed beside her, his laugh at her muttered curses only making her increase their volume. 

“Come on, let’s go,” Steve told him, the wrinkle between his eyes and downward cast to his lips making Bucky sigh as Steve reached back and cut the strings on his parachute. With that worried look it would have been impossible to talk him out of it and so Bucky followed suit, body reflexively curling to catch the impact as he hit the ground. Luckily they had been pretty close, sure, killer to the average man, but Bucky wasn’t being arrogant when he said Steve and himself were anything but. 

Steve just crouched, knees absorbing the impact as he rose, somehow making a fall out of the sky seem heroic. Bucky felt the first touch of ground below his foot and kicked off to turn it into a roll, gun already in hand as he came up on one knee and his eyes roved the area around them for enemies. Steve could be the hero. He’d be the soldier. 

Auria had barely waited for them, and once they were on the ground she was in the building. Iron Man had burst the lock off the door and was quickly behind her, sharp eyes roving over the equipment but Auria didn’t even spare it a second look. She was on the hunt. 

She moved quickly through the halls, body lithe and muscles coiling in a way that made Bucky watch her warily and with a bit more respect. She nearly swayed in her step, eyes roving over every empty room and making her face harden with each one if that was possible. She was about to explode. 

It was clear there had been people here and had left in a hurry, expensive equipment still lined most of the rooms. Chairs were splayed and vials, and boards were strewed carelessly across the tile floors, filing cabinets were empty and gutted with drawers still open. They hadn’t been careless however. Everything was cleared, and in bins there was the evidence of fires where whatever papers they hadn’t taken with them had been destroyed. 

They split up, Tony moving to the remnants of a dismantled computer while Bucky and Steve moved through the wreckage contemplatively. The sound of Auria’s footsteps could be heard through the halls, accompanied by the random loud bang of her kicking open doors or just breaking things in frustration. 

Steve flicked on the lights as they entered another room. His face paled, and he immediately turned to find Bucky’s eyes on the metal table in the middle of the room. It was clear what it was used for, its length the same as an operating table, its height was made to be adjustable, and if to make its horrifying function more obvious there were thick straps to hold someone down against their will. 

“This is awful,” Steve said softly, eyes falling to where scratches cut into the metal surface. He suddenly couldn’t take it, rage and horror overwhelming as he simultaneously wanted to shelter Bucky from the sight and break whomever was responsible's face. As it was he clenched his fists and turned away, gripping Bucky’s shoulder and slightly shaking him to break him from his trance. Bucky’s eyes flickered too him before they fell away too soon, dark and shuttered.

“Come on, I don’t think I can take it,” Steve told him, and if he had to force the seeming selfish statement out, well, he knew that if he voiced any concern about Bucky’s well being Bucky would fight it and tell him he was fine. But Bucky looked back at him, slight worry breaking through enough for him to turn and lead Steve out of the room. 

“Auria?” Bucky called, rough voice raised, making Steve jump, but he suddenly realized that it had gone quiet now that their own discovery no longer distracting them. Tony came down the hall, no longer in his suit, but with a concerned frown on his face. They journeyed together to the last place they had heard the woman’s curses come from but Steve came to the lit room first, holding up his hand and raising his shield in front of him before taking point. 

He entered swiftly, raising it to protect himself and stepping out of the way as Bucky came behind him, gun already up as he searched for trouble. But they quickly lowered their respective weapons as they caught sight of the only person in sight, a single winged girl surrounded by a mass of destruction and droplets of blood. It was clear she heard them enter, she flinched at the sound of them walking towards her but they stopped at the sight of the carnage. 

Twisted metal lay scattered around her feet, large chunks thrown about and bent out of shape as if she had went to town on them with the sole focus of destruction. Bucky’s eyes fell to a twisted shape, and he felt his heart stop for a moment before it kicked back into gear, painfully thumping along his ribs. It was a lock. She was standing in the midst of cages. There must have been quite a few of them, although now there was only two still in a recognizable form. 

“Auria,” Steve asked and her shoulders jerked up in response, a defensive move that made Steve halt in his motion of moving to comfort her like he had intended. Instead he looked to Bucky who had been watching him carefully. 

“Bucky?” Steve asked quietly and his best friend sighed. Then he slapped him on the back, hard, before moving closer to the tense woman. Tony stayed quiet, out of the way in the door way and putting some of that genius intellect into use in knowing that this was a very delicate situation.

“Auria,” Bucky warned her and her head twitched the slightest to the side, just enough to watch him move closer out of the corner of her eye. And then he walked around her to see her face. He left arm’s length between them, plenty of space to make sure she didn’t seem crowded and he never turned his back on her. 

Then he was facing her, blue blue eyes boring into hers and trying to dig her out of the frozen ice that coated her after the initial storm. His eyes pulled and scraped at her, trying to dig the hatred, fear, and rage that threatened to overwhelm her and so she shut her eyes, squeezing the lids painfully tight to block out the sight of him understanding and wanting far too much.

“I’m fine,” she told him firmly, and there was a moment of silence where she thought he would accept it. Then her eyes were flying open in a panic as she felt him move closer. It was just barely, if he reached for her his fingertips would barely graze her, but still she felt her eyes widen in a panic. It made no sense, and logically she knew that. If the two Avengers hovering in the only exit of the room didn’t scare her, then James Buchanan Barnes looking at her shouldn’t make her feel as if her world was imploding but logic didn’t play much into how she was feeling right now.

“Talk to me,” Bucky told her, not quite an order, but enough of a demand to make her swallow thickly and glare. She was emotionally raw, and she hoped empty, but as he stepped closer once more she knew it wasn’t true. The horror of finding the cages washed over her once more, the deep gut punch of guilt that quickly turned into nausea and panic until she was light headed because of it. There had been people here. There had been experiments and she hadn’t been trying to find them, she hadn’t known they existed, hadn’t thought to look. Why didn’t she look? 

She didn’t realize that she had spoken out loud, and she wasn’t sure how much she had actually said, but his eyes softened in understanding and then he was in front of her, not reaching for her but just waiting as she started to shake. Out of shock or her emotional turmoil or more likely both. But she didn’t cry. Her eyes stung for a moment, before she let out her breath, a sobbing painful sound that sounded pathetic to her own ears, but she didn’t cry. His eyes dropped to her hands, and she was confused by the worry she saw in his eyes, the barest turn of the corner of his mouth. 

“You didn't know. We need to take care of your hands,” Bucky told her firmly, once more almost a command but it wasn’t harsh. It wasn’t demanding, only certain, and she looked down at her hands in confusion. She flexed the bleeding swollen digits, ignoring the flare of pain. They were all superficial, cuts from the wires on the cages digging into her flesh whenever she was ripping it apart with her bare hands, but nothing serious. 

“They’ll be fine,” she dismissed them, dropping them back to her side but he slowly reached for one, letting her pull away if she wanted to but she stood still, surprised by the motion. He lifted the right hand in both of his own and instead of watching the bruises and grazes that he seemed so concerned with she stared at his left hand. It was covered in a glove again and she wondered why. No one around here would recognize it, and it wasn’t like he had a secret identity to conceal. Why did he keep it covered?

“Let me take care of them anyway,” Bucky told her and she took it out of his grip quickly, unable to quench the quick grimace of pain that it caused her. 

“I don’t need your help,” Auria told him, and it came out sharper and harsher than she wanted but he didn’t seem to notice. Instead he watched her for a moment, and the silence and his intense stare washed over her, causing her pride to wash away in a quick flare of embarrassment.

“Let me help you anyway?” Bucky finally asked, and she blinked in surprise at his words and the fact that it was an actual question. 

“Yeah, okay,” Auria agreed, abruptly too exhausted to fight. Another band aid wouldn’t kill her. Bucky seemed to relax when she agreed. He immediately reached into his jacket, pulling out a thin metal tube that Auria assumed was antiseptic because then he was gently lifting her hands to spray them over the cuts. 

He wiped the blood away, with his sleeve before spraying the cuts again, making her wrinkle her nose at the sting before he quickly soothed them with an ointment. She felt herself loosen, relax out of detonation mode, into just very awkward mode. Soon she was blushing, not quite sure where to look, and not quite sure how to stand. She decided that looking over his shoulder was effective although she was still hunched over, her fingers slightly curling as she lightly tried to tug them out of his hands. He didn’t let her go however, now wrapping a thin layer of bandage around them, that she felt was completely unnecessary. 

Finally done with his Florence Nightingale impression, Bucky released her hands. She muttered her thanks, not quite looking him in the eyes but when she looked around her stomach twisted into a knot once more. She had to get out of this place. Auria grit her teeth against the overwhelming urge to close her eyes again and pretended that she just wasn’t here. Instead she took short breaths and raised her eyes, avoiding looking at the evidence of imprisonment and her own uncontrollable rage. 

She turned to find Tony gone, but Steve was waiting on them. His light blue eyes brightened as she looked at him, soft and understanding and he gave her a sweet half smile that should be illegal on such a strong man. It made her want to smile in return but her measly effort immediately fell. He didn’t seem to mind though, he waved them on, gently brushing her shoulder with a comforting touch.  
She would’ve flinched away if she hadn’t seen him grip Bucky’s shoulder so many times. She recognized the comforting motion, and felt a wave of gratitude that he didn’t actual grab her. Bucky on the other hand felt no compunctions so it seemed because he was suddenly wrapping his hand around her arm, gripping it tight and spinning her around. She gasped, fist immediately coming up to break his hold but before she could he was pulling her close, wrapping his arms around her in a tight awkward embrace.

She gasped in surprise and tensed against his chest. She felt him immediately let go, rigid and uncertain but before he could slip away she slipped her arms around him as well. It had to have won the world’s record breaking most uncomfortable hug ever. Neither of them actually really held each other. They were pressed against each other, and straining away at the same time, while neither of them knew what to do with their arms. Auria stopped breathing. 

But then he relaxed the slightest bit, and he rested his chin on her shoulder. It eased into something not quite easy but more comfortable, and she realized he probably hadn’t hugged any one in quite a long time. Auria sure hadn’t. The realization made her bark a laugh and then he was letting her go, rolling his eyes at her and moving quickly away before she could realize what was happening and miss him.

“What was that for?” she asked, voice still thick with emotion and humor and he shrugged, and actual eloquent shrug instead of the slight shake. 

“You just beat the shit out of your hands against inanimate objects,” he reminded her, a bit unfairly, but it made her laugh again.

“Yeah,” she agreed and Steve shook his head, rolling his eyes at them as if annoyed at how weird they were. But his eyes shone with what suspiciously looked like tears.

"Um, guys, I know that I am an absolute genius and a God among men, not to mention the psychical equivalent of a gift that keeps on giving, but they took everything. And when I say everything I mean, what they left is basically wires and duck tape. They took all the good stuff," Tony told them as he strolled back, smirk fading to an irritated eye roll as he recounted the lack of information.  
And that was when Auria unleashed her current of curses and everyone decided they should head back to the jet before she exploded or murdered someone. Although if it had to come to that, Steve had offered Tony as a sacrifice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am just going to go ahead and forewarn everyone that I did not really edit, I wrote and published sooooo, many many problems! Just tell me what ya see :D


	17. Meeting Hawkeye and Blackwidow (Umm, again)

They slipped out of the building and into the cool air, oddly silent. It seemed comparative to the quiet hush that fell over funerals, respect for the dead that wouldn’t be bothered anyway. Auria fought the urge to scream or shout or anything, to fracture the silence and shock those around her it felt so oppressive but she was so tired. 

Far too tired to draw upon the anger that even now was a dull flicker deep in her gut. Somehow Bucky seemed to sense it, and knew that it could be flared back into a blaze fairly easy, for his sharp blue eyes watched her carefully. His neutral expression should have been unnerving but it wasn’t. Perhaps she was too tired for that as well.

Steve fastened a button at Bucky’s throat, earning a dark dangerous glare that he ignored, before moving over to Auria. She stiffened at his approach, sweet expression letting her know that she was next in line to be babied.

“Are you cold, do you want my jacket?” Steve asked her and she stretched her wings the slightest, just enough to raise them and catch his attention. His eyes flickered over her shoulder, and he grinned, before easily looking back at her face, unperturbed.

“I’m fine. It’s usually harsher temperatures once you get in the air,” Auria told him, explaining far more than she usually would when his light eyes worriedly fell to the t-shirt she still wore. At least the pants were made to keep in the heat, but her arms were bare to the cold. He looked back to her again, expression serious and brooking no argument like would not be lied too and she hurriedly rushed to explain before he manhandled her into his coat. 

“Seriously, I feel fine right now, you should keep it,” Auria told him but he didn’t seem to believe her. 

“I’m also immune to the cold except in extreme circumstance, so if you are cold right now I promise that I’m not,” Steve told her and she took a step back, suddenly overwhelmed by so much attention. Why did he even care?

“I’m fine,” She told him, and the clipped sentence was enough of a warning to drop the conversation but she was beginning to realize that Captain America’s super power wasn’t strength or durability, but just stubbornness, as he opened his mouth again anyway.

“You can let me help,” Steve told her and the look he sent her was sweet enough to rival a begging puppy. She couldn’t find it within her to kick him with a snappy reply and she softened at the expression.

“I don’t need any help, Rogers,” She told him firmly but her expression was kind, “but thank you.”

Steve’s eyes were still concerned but now he gave her a warm grin. Evidently getting her to be kind was enough of a win, and she felt a bit guilty. 

“Come on guys, no one offered me their coat, and I’m freezing my ass off,” Tony shouted as he darted in the direction he had parked the jet. Steve gave a Bucky a look that Auria couldn’t quite make out but evidently Bucky understood he narrowed his eyes at him. 

Steve only grinned before jogging after Tony, his shield glinting in the sun and making Auria’s heart ache. Captain freaking America. God, she wished had had been a snobby jerk so that she could hold onto her contempt but his genuine kindness was like kryptonite to any ill will towards him. Even Tony, who actually could be categorized as a jerk, was turning into someone she couldn’t hate. 

His sense of humor was too familiar, not to mention the small glimpses of genuine heart she could see. It made him an altogether likeable person if you could adapt to his snark. Bucky was another beast all together. She wasn’t quite sure who he was. 

Now she watched him out of the corner of her eyes, but it was impossible to read what he was thinking. It was easy to tell that he was conscious of where she was because he was cautiously standing far enough away that she didn’t feel threatened but he didn’t actually look at her. He walked quietly, eyes slowly scanning their surroundings. And yet he was turned towards her, as if ready for them to start talking, but she couldn’t think of anything to say.

She remembered their hug, wondering what had prompted him to attack her. He had seemed, almost scared, and he had grabbed her impulsively, almost as if to protect her. After her initial fright she had realized what he was doing and had felt a stab of panic at the thought of him feeling rejected and so she had lifted her arms to hold him as well. 

She hadn’t wanted to hurt the man who was so undisposed to touch. She had hugged Angel before, been grabbed by Nudge once. Clasped Max’s shoulder, but she had never purposely held someone before. But she had held him.

And now they watched each other out of the corner of their eyes, standing farther apart than necessary. She felt his eyes drift to her wings as they walked and she fought off the urge to clamp them tightly to her back in an attempt to hide them or just open them wide and fly away.

Instead they quivered in nervousness, feathers ruffling, as she reflexively wanted to open them and hide them at the same time and yet he didn’t watch them like he was strange. In fact he was taking it uncannily well. He didn’t stare, or make her feel uncomfortable, only glance at them like you would someone’s hands when they were using them to talk.  
It should have made her relaxed that he didn’t think she was a freak, or stare at her like she was something other than human, and yet she felt another sort of emotion climb through her. It wasn’t fear, nor quite anxiety, but almost nervous anticipation to see how far she could push him until he reacted like a normal person. 

But before either of them could speak they reached the jet, the door open and waiting for them. Tony had disappeared, presumably getting warm, but Steve was waiting for them at the top of the ramp. 

He broke out into a smile as the caught sight of them and Auria stopped at the edge of the metal. Bucky had taken a step before realizing that she was no longer moving. He hesitated before turning back to her, face expressive and asking her a question although he remained silent. Steve frowned in confusion, moving down to meet them.  
“What’s going on?” Tony called, and soon he was at the entrance, watching them with tired exasperation. 

“Thank you all very much for your help,” Auria told them, but before she could go on to explain that she would be continuing on her own Tony interrupted.  
“Wait? Is Tweety bird not coming?” Tony asked and Steve’s frown deepened. 

“Of course she is, we didn’t find them,” Steve told them and Auria straightened defiantly. It would be much more effective if she didn’t have to look up at him, his higher standpoint making him loom over her even if he didn’t mean too. 

“Steve,” she said calmly, and everyone settled, waiting for her to go on. She realized it was the first time she had actually called him by his first name. 

“I really appreciate that you tried, but I can do this on my own. If they knew we were coming and cleared out, then they went into hiding. I don’t know how long this will take,” Auria told him and he moved down the ramp to stand next to her so that they were face to face. 

“I know. We still want to help. Don’t we?” Steve asked the other two men and they surprised her by nodding. Bucky simply agreed while Tony crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. 

“Hey, I’m intrigued anyway, can’t let these guys disappear. So, might as well help a girl out while I’m trailing them,” Tony called down to her and his white grin was a bit more predatory than usual.

“Now come on, let’s call your girl back and figure out what we want to do next,” Steve told her, and his soothing voice sounded so logical that she felt like if she argued anymore she would just sound like a lunatic. Still, it was nagging at her, this liberal use of we. 

“Fine, let’s figure out what needs to be done next. And I’ll decide after that,” Auria agreed before moving up the ramp, with a soldier on other side. Somehow they didn’t feel like guards, and she was pretty sure it was because of the happy bounce in Steve’s step and the fond tilt to Bucky’s mouth. Tony gave her a smug grin before moving to the pilot’s seat, door closing behind her and she settle into a chair with a sigh.

“Hey, guess what guys?” Tony abruptly called back to them and they all turned to find him spinning into his chair to face them

“Beauty and the Beast are back at the tower, and wondering where we are,” Tony told them and Bucky squinted at Steve.

“Which one is which?” Bucky asked and Steve laughed, buckling himself into the seat as they started to inch into the sky. 

“I’m pretty sure it could go either way, Buck,” Steve told him and Bucky grinned before eyeing Auria’s straps. She had refused earlier, on the grounds that she wanted to be free to jump out of the plane at a moment’s notice but she still hadn’t touched them. 

He remembered the straps on the table, and the entire month it had taken Steve to get him to even use a seat belt in a car, much less the body straps on the jet, and didn’t say anything. He only wished she had sat next to Steve or him so that they could reach her if something happened, but she had sat at the very end of the row, too far away to grab her. 

"No, that's Banner's and Romanoff's couple name!" Tony exclaimed, and Steve gave him a pointedly, crossing the line, look that Tony of course couldn't see.

“They know about me?” Auria asked, and Bucky watched her untie her ponytail and try to untangle her hair before tie it back up. He wished he could believe it was because she was trying to look presentable but he had a feeling it was because she was making sure it would stay out of her face if she was attacked. A ponytail could be grabbed, but not so much as if she left her hair down.

Her grey eyes met his, catching him watching her, but he didn’t look away. He felt his heart thud in his chest as he stared at the planes on her face, and once again he wondered if she would naturally be that thin and angular if she didn’t live her life on the run. She was still beautiful, in under the harsh defiance, but it was almost a cruel beauty and he remembered the free smile on her face as she flew through the air. He wished she could feel that way all of the time. 

She was the first to look away, breaking eye contact and turning to Steve as she realized no one had answered her question but he was pointedly staring at the ceiling as if the plain silver surface held something fascinating. 

“’Murica!” she called to get his attention, and he glared at her. Bucky could hear Tony chuckle.

“What?” Steve snapped huffily and Auria raised her eyebrows.

“Should I be super psyched about meeting super master assassins or you know, ready to die?” Auria asked him and his expression immediately cleared apologetically.

“Of course not, Hawkeye and Black Widow would never attack you without cause,” Steve told her but that didn’t seem to calm her at all.

“Great. Can I borrow that jacket now?” she muttered, folding her arms, and Bucky and Steve shared a surprised look before Bucky moved to unzip his jacket. Steve raised an eyebrow at him but thankfully didn’t say anything as Bucky tossed her the black jacket. She left it unzipped but pulled it only quickly, folding her wings on her back and keeping them still. They remained silent the rest of the ride back to the tower, but Steve kept glancing at her, obviously concerned. 

Auria was the first one off as they landed, quickly escaping the confines of the comparably luxurious confines of the jet. She still wasn’t use to small spaces, and Bucky was just impressed that she handled herself so well when he saw her freeze, head snapping to the side before she circled to face that direction. 

Bucky quickly moved towards her, gun in his hand and Steve on his heels, as he looked for what had scared her. He put his gun up with a sigh when he caught sight of Natasha’s red curls. 

“Hello boys,” she greeted. Her voice was naturally low and friendly, sexy as always, but her green eyes were focused on the woman standing beside them. 

Auria straightened, pulling a pleasant smile that didn’t reach her eyes as she looked at the smaller woman, but there was no doubt that Auria knew exactly who she was dealing with. 

“Who’s this?” Natasha asked flippantly and Bucky frowned as he restrained the urge to move to Auria and put his arm around her. What was going on? Natasha was the farthest thing from trusting, but the woman was usually effortlessly polite, in a way that left people with the memory of a pretty face and nothing much else. But the way she was reacting to Auria’s presence would definitely leave an impression.

“Hey, Nat, what’s up?” Clint asked as he strolled towards them. His voice was friendly as he raised it to carry, nonchalantly carrying a bag of chips in the crook of his arm, but the muscles around his eyes were tense as he watched his partner before moving to look Auria over. Even Clint knew that something was off. 

“This is Auria,” Steve told them confidently, but he was watching their reactions carefully, eyeing the way Auria was tensed. Her reaction from earlier was clear in his mind and he started watching her suspiciously.

Natasha grinned when she got the name, eyes glinting dangerously and Auria tensed at the expression, prepared to flee or fight. And then Tony walked in, eyeing them all with a scowl.

“What the hell did I miss? Catfight?” Tony asked, and Natasha sighed, tilting her head in a disapproving way that made her curls fall over her shoulder artfully. It was longer again, the last time he had seen her it had been short, straight and cut to her chin. 

“No, not this time,” Natasha told them, obviously deciding something and Auria relaxed, eyes darting to Clint who now swung an arm over Natasha’s shoulders.

“Can we please get something to eat? I’m starving,” Clint told them all with the slightest hint of pleading, and Steve immediately rushed them into the room, turning on his mother hen mode. It probably helped that Clint shamelessly tilted his head so that he could see the band aid on his cheek and that bandage on his hand.

The tension seemed to dissipate although the women watched each other in a way that made Bucky make sure he was always between them. 

“What’s up with, Widow?” Bucky asked Auria as soon as he could, resting on his elbow and turning more into her as she leaned up against the wall, hovering over her protectively. He made sure it was away from the woman in question so she couldn’t read his lips. Auria’s steel eyes found the woman immediately, the hard look making Bucky frown. 

They had moved into the kitchen, actually Tony’s since it was on the top level, but since that was where the jet pad was it was Tony’s fault they tended to congregate here.  
He only mildly complained whenever everyone made themselves at home, Natasha perching on the edge of the counter with Clint leaning beside her, whispering something that Natasha didn’t reply too. Steve and Tony bickered over what to make, Tony wanting to just order something that he knew would taste good, and Steve wanting to actually try and make something. 

Bucky would’ve usually waded in after a moment, demanding Steve to tell him if he even knew how to cook it and if they would all starve before deciding on who he wanted to side with, but this time he let them hash it out on their own with Clint chiming in only to pick the argument back up again.

“Hmm, notice that did you?” Auria asked sarcastically, voice soft but Bucky could clearly hear it from how close they were, and Bucky rolled his eyes. He knew that if she wasn’t so focused on Natasha she would have probably moved away by now and so he didn’t force the issue by smacking the back of her head like he wanted to. She was so tense she would probably stab him. 

“Oh, no, I didn’t notice anything at all. Why is something going on?” he asked, perfectly willing to meet her sass with his own and he was rewarded with a flicker at her lips as she fought a smile.

“I might have ran into them the other day,” Auria finally admitted and Bucky stilled, twisting to stare at the spies now casually sharing a bag of Doritos.

“And you survived?” Bucky asked, not hiding his surprise at all and Auria punched him in the shoulder. Unfortunately it was his metal shoulder, and she shook her hand with a grimace. 

“Shut up,” she ordered him since her attack was ineffective and he met Steve’s eyes from in the kitchen. It seemed that Tony had won this round, and that meant that whatever Steve had wanted to cook had probably been far too complicated, and so he was pouting against the island. But as Bucky looked for him his eyes raised to meet his, light blue wondering if he needed him.

Bucky only tilted his head in Natasha’s direction. Steve lifted his shoulders the slightest bit, and Bucky sighted, giving him a sour look. He was so useless sometimes. Steve rolled his eyes before pointedly looking down to Auria and back to Bucky with a grin. 

Bucky suddenly became self-conscious of the way he was standing, realizing that it was far more intimate than protective, but he refused to move and let Steve know he had gotten to him. 

Instead he flipped him off. Steve grinned, quickly wiping the expression off of his face into something far more innocent whenever Auria looked at between them, expression suspicious. Bucky wished he could do the same, but his cheeks had started to turn red under her scrutiny.

“Did I miss something?” Auria asked and Bucky moved back, running his hand over his jaw.

“Nope, Steve is an ass,” Bucky told her, much louder than their previous conversation, and she laughed whenever Steve reciprocated the name calling. 

“Auria’s a pretty name,” a female voice stated clearly from across the room, and everyone stilled turning to watch Natasha. 

Auria moved forwards, away from Bucky and he looked to Steve. He looked back, eyes wide and unsure what to do. They trusted Natasha implicitly, put their lives in her hands on almost a daily basis. She was part of the team. And they had absolutely no idea what had happened between them. 

“Thank you,” Auria told her politely, fingers skimming over the back of a chair as she moved to stand behind the bar. Now they were only a few feet away, and Natasha slid to the ground. It should have been friendlier, giving up her height advantage but Auria took it as the threat it was. Natasha was dangerous, deadly, and all she needed was her body.

“Natalia is beautiful,” Auria told her and Natasha’s eyes narrowed at the hint that obviously was. Auria knew about her, knew who she was, and she wasn’t backing down.

“People call me Natasha here,” the red head told her and Auria titled her head, the motion reminding Bucky of a hawk, eyeing its prey moments before it dove in for the kill. 

“That’s lovely as well,” she replied, and Bucky couldn’t quite read the subtext in under their polite conversation. Evidently neither could Clint because he raised his hand in the air and waved it around like and impatient student waiting to be called on by the teacher.

“Um, ladies, what is going on?” he asked bluntly whenever Natasha turned to look at him, and she pursed her lips at him for a moment before replying. 

“Remember that girl I told you dove off of the building a couple of weeks ago?” Natasha asked, vaguely referring to some mission between the two of them. Clint didn’t even blink at the lack of detail only arched his brows at the girl now standing in front of them.

“Suicide girl is you? You look great for someone that dove off of a twenty story building amid a flurry of bullets and with a knife buried in you thigh,” Clint told her in a rush of admiration, just as Tony was returning with a case of bottle. His mouth fell open, roving over the group.

“I leave for two minutes and I miss everything! And seriously Spy Kids, what do the two of you get into when you are gone? ” Tony asked, dropping the case onto the table before popping on open and taking a deep drink. 

“And she just conveniently shows up in the company of our team,” Natasha reminded Clint before he could get too impressed. 

“Well, not conveniently, she was the one that tried to hack the computer system for our files,” Tony told her, handing her one of the bottles before she could reply. She had immediately tensed, eyes flashing, but as she took the bottle she made herself relax. They were all obviously okay with her, so something must have happened. 

“I would say thank you for trying to save me, but it was your knife in my thigh, so,” Auria told her with a shrug and all of the men turned to Natasha for her reply.

“And I remember one of yours aimed at my head, you really should practice more. Lousy aim,” Natasha purred, and they all turned to Auria. Tony even mouthed burn, but he was wise enough not to interrupt.

“Or maybe I hit exactly what I aiming for. By the way, how did you get out of there, last I remember you seemed to be limping pretty badly,” Auria reminded her and the men turned, wide eyed to Natasha.

“I was pretending. Had to get into the mainframe,” she told her evenly and Auria actually brightened.

“Didn’t remember you getting hit. And that was him in the watch tower?” Auria asked, jerking her chin in Clint’s direction. He was about to object to being referred to instead of asked when Steve clasped his hand over his mouth.

“You noticed him? You dove right into his sight, but you knew he was there?,” Natasha asked, and Auria shrugged. 

“At that point I didn’t think he would shoot me. Superhero and all, but then you stabbed me,” Auria reminded her and Natasha pointedly looked at her leg.

“You seem fine,” she told her with an unimpressed tilt of her head before asking casually, “What were you doing there?” 

“You know, raiding, hacking, and diving off of buildings. The usual,” Auria told her and Natasha’s eyes narrowed at her.

“How did you survive?” Natasha asked her and Auria shrugged once more. This time it was Steve that interrupted. 

“Um, It’s completely your choice, but there is no reason why you have to hid from Clint and Natasha. They are part of the team,” Steve reminded her.

“Tony can explain. I’m gonna go find my own jacket. Am I invited for dinner?” she asked Tony, but her eyes moved to Natasha. Natasha watched her for a long moment before nodding.

“Sure, I remembered your earlier warning and ordered the amount we get when Thor’s in town. I doubt you can even dent it, but we can have a contest. Hey can you get drunk? Freedom in spandex over here can’t and Thor doesn’t even blink at our stuff, so it would be nice to have someone around I might beat. Who wants to play twenty questions?” Tony asked everyone and Auria almost felt run over by the flood of information. God, she might just murder them if she ever got Nudge and him in the same room together.

“Tony, I don’t really think that would be the responsible,” Steve tried to tell him and Tony rolled his eyes with an exaggerated sigh.  
“We aren’t in high school,” Steve snapped instead which didn’t deter him either.

“Come on, how many of us had a normal high school experience? See no hands were raised. Drinking games and food it is!” Tony decided, punching the air. Auria wasn’t the only one that seemed scared.


	18. Dinner

Auria left the Avengers squabbling like an old married couple and their grown children, and although it was fully amusing it was also alarming. She exited quickly, not feeling an ounce of shame for fleeing whenever Captain America and Iron Man were about to get hostile. She did however keep careful watch as she went back to where she had left her jacket. Natasha Romanoff was not someone to take lightly.

She hated to admit it, but if there was one Avenger that Auria was deathly afraid of it would have to be Black Widow.

Sure, the others were dangerous, and she knew they could probably take her within seconds. She wasn’t exactly on their level. She accepted that, knew it was a possibility. But Black Widow was, _more_. More than just trained, more than just deadly, more than just a superhero. She was everything Auria aspired to be, times ten and with a killer fashion sense. She was an assassin, a spy, a trained warrior with the delicacy of her namesake, and also the murderous intent.

So, if Auria felt herself trembling from her earlier encounter, she was just relieved that she had held up until her exit. When you stared down a wild animal, you didn’t flinch. You held eye contact and prayed that your bluff would work, and that they might just hesitate at the thought you could withstand the pressure. There was a reason she was equipped with wings and not fangs, Auria fled when it came down to it. She beat the hell out of anyone in her way to the sky, but then she was gone. She wouldn’t stand a chance if the Black Widow decided to take her out.

Auria waved a grateful hand somewhere in the general direction of the ceiling, not actually sure where the sensors were, when the doors slid open for her on approach and when they slid shut behind her she let out her sigh, glad to have her back covered. She swore she felt eyes on her the entire way back, although that was probably just her imagination coupled with the cameras all over the damn place.

She found her stolen jacket draped over the back of the couch where she had left it. Honestly, she hadn’t even remembered to grab it when they left for the labs, which was highly unlike her. She brushed her fingers over the cloth as she considered what that meant, that she had been so comfortable around them that she had readily followed them without covering her wings.

She had been trying to make a point when she had left it off, that she the only one of them that knew what they were dealing with. Or maybe freak them out with how unhuman she was, or just keep them from getting too close to her. Whatever it was, it hadn’t exactly worked. The only thing that seemed to faze them was the Black Widow’s recount, and even then, they took it exceptionally well. Auria guessed she was just used to being the weirdest person in the room, but around here she almost fit in. What was going on with her?

“Ms. Auria, Mr. Stark took the opportunity to get it repaired in your absence,” the pleasant voice told her and Auria jumped in surprise before holding up the jean jacket. Now that she was actually looking at it, it was obvious that someone had cleaned it up, and patched the tears. There wasn’t even a trace of blood.

Auria idly wondered how much blood Tony Stark’s drycleaners had to deal with to be this good at getting it out, but she knew the random thought was partly in shock from being overwhelmed. He didn’t have to do that. They had taken her in and made sure she didn’t bleed to death, sure. They were the ‘good guys’ that’s what they did, but there was absolutely no reason that Tony Stark had to have her jacket fixed.

Auria stared at the cloth for a moment before setting it down and sliding off Barnes. Her fingers hesitated over his leather, blushing as she realized how comfortable she had been in it before pulling on the recently cleaned cloth. It no longer smelled of smoke, and the tears in the fabric had been sewn with tight small stitches. It actually looked better than when she had first gotten it. She ran her finger over one seam before shaking off whatever was making her so weepy. It was just a jacket.

She did return Barnes’ to his room however, gently folding it over the end of his bed. She would have returned it to the closet if that didn’t feel too intrusive. There was still blood, now stained into his sheets. She guiltily turned away from the sight before exiting the room quickly, moving back down the hall as soon as the door opened for her. She moved fast, steps picking up speed until she was almost running.

Everyone turned in surprise as she burst into the room, obviously in the middle of an intense conversation, and she saw hands move for weapons and people prepare for an attack. Steve stood up from his barstool.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked quickly, voice deep and dangerous as if he was ready to single handedly take on whatever had scared her.

“I’m leaving,” Auria told them quickly and he blinked in surprise, relaxing out of his ready position.

  
“Why?” Barnes asked, from where he had been sitting next to Steve and he seemed calm, the only one not startled by her appearance.

“I have to go,” Auria told him, and this time he stood, slowly rising to face her.

“No you don’t,” he replied simply, eyes focused and firm on hers and she felt her panic flare up.

“Yes, I do.”

“Then I’ll come with you,” Bucky told her and her heart clenched in confusion as she stared into his blue eyes.

She literally heard a collective gasp as everyone stared at him. Steve gaped, facial expression flickering somewhere between concerned and angry.

“Bucky-” Steve started but his friend waved him off.

“I’ll be back, Stevey. Just give us a little bit,” Bucky told him, squeezing Steve’s shoulder with a confident grin that seemed so like him before that it took Steve’s breath away.

“You aren’t coming,” Auria blurted, flustered and suddenly conflicted as she realized he had invited himself along without even asking, but Bucky ignored her.

“Yeah I am. Question is, where are we going?” Bucky asked her and she realized she didn’t actually know. It had just been away, away from here, and the panic that tried to consume her. Bucky watched her sternly as if he had always known, and she swallowed down her nerves.

“I have some stuff, not much but its mine and I left it,” Auria told him and he nodded.

“Is it somewhere safe?” Bucky asked her and she hesitated before nodding, twisting her hands and shoving them in her pockets.

“Then it could probably wait until after dinner, yeah? Stark ordered half of the restaurant,” Bucky told her and her stomach growled, reminding her that she had been starving before all of this had started.  

“Okay,” Auria agreed and Bucky nodded, sitting back down and casually waving her forward to the seat next to him as if she didn’t just have a panic attack.

“So, we moving this party to the living room?” Tony asked, breaking the tension as everyone tried to keep up with what just happened and Clint slid off the counter gratefully, crumpling his empty bag and tossing it into the trash across the room. It entered without brushing the sides, and he smirked before strolling out of the room. Natasha followed after a moment, perceptive eyes on Auria before she swayed after him, catching up and slipping her arm through his.  

“Come on you two, before Natasha eats it all,” Steve told them with a friendly smile, before moving around Auria and after the pair. He none to subtly grabbed Tony’s collar and yanked him after, ignoring Tony’s protests about how much his shirt cost.  

“Don’t let Steve fool ya, he’s the one you have to watch out for. It’s almost like he’s trying to make up for all of the years he could barely eat nothin’,” Bucky told her, rising effortlessly. Auria watched him for a moment, before responding.

“You don’t have to come with me. When I go get my things.”

“I know, but I could use the exercise,” Bucky none too smoothly excused, and she shrugged before walking with him after the others. Of course he did, he was practically six feet of muscle, but the jog would do him good, she scoffed, but she couldn’t actually be made at the calm way he walked beside her, letting his calm spread to her and slow her rapidly beating heart.

“You coming back afterwards?” Bucky asked her easily, and although it would have been an immediate no five minutes ago, Auria hesitated.

 She didn’t want their help, but it would go so much easier to locate Handell with their resources. If she didn’t want to involve the Flock any more than necessary than she would need them.

“If Captain America has any plans to move on Itexicon, I should be involved,” Auria concluded out loud, but she heard Bucky snort.

“Please call him Steve. I know he’s a pain to get used to, but the punk needs more people to see him as a person and not just a shield,” Bucky told her, surprisingly open and she shivered at the intense way he said it, like it was a personal offense that people didn’t see the man that he did.

“How does Steve feel about that?” Auria asked, and she saw the half smile twist at his mouth before he answered. It was genuine and almost private in how much love it contained.

“He won’t admit it, but he gets kind of lonely. I can only imagine how he was before I came back to thump some sense into his thick skull, but even now he won’t admit it if anything bothers him. He’ll suffer in silence unless it bothers someone else,” Bucky told her and she wondered why on earth he was even confiding in her. Maybe Steve wasn’t the only one that was lonely.

“How about you then? I don’t really see you as the sensible type either if I’m being honest,” Auria asked him and he seemed taken aback for a moment.

“Come on, doll, I’m the smart one,” Bucky told her in a stage whisper as they entered the room that had been taken over by Avengers and Steve snorted from where he was sprawled on the couch.

“Don’t let him fool you, that’s the one that took all of the stupid,” Steve drolled, grinning at their private joke and the way Bucky shoved his legs off of the couch to plop down next to him. Auria warily perched on the arm on the couch even though there was plenty of room for her at the end, and she looked away from the persuasive blue of Steve’s eyes before they could catch her and convince her to sit with them.

“Is everyone here?” Tony called, setting himself down in a large leather chair that probably cost more than Auria dared think about. Clint and Natasha had curled up in the love seat across from them, and even now Auria watched the lethal red head out of the corner of her eye. Clint didn’t seem to care about her at all, almost half asleep as he leaned his head on the back of the cushions.

Natasha was very obviously watching her, one leg casually curled in front of her, her right foot pressed against the floor as she leaned against Clint’s arm draped across the back. It could’ve been a comfortable position, natural, if Auria didn’t know how easy it would be to spring up and across the small space separating them. And so Auria didn’t even try to relax, watching her in turn. She crossed her arms and propped on foot up on the furniture so expensive she probably could’ve sold it and rented her an apartment.

“Girls, come on, your both pretty,” Tony told them, before immediately regretting it as he became the center of two pairs of very dangerious glares.

“Really, Stark? You are going with that, because we’re the only women?” Auria demanded and she heard Natahsa make a disspaointed sound.

“You should no better, Tony. Pepper has made you take so many sexism classes and it doesn’t seem to stick,” Natasha mused, lips pursed and Tony held up his hands, eyes widening.

“I was just kidding.”

“Of course you were, but you decided to play on the fact that we were women, ultimately devaluing the way your teammate is trying to protect you,” Auria told him, tilting her head and Natasha nodded gratefully before picking back up on their lecture.

“You honestly think so little of me that you think I am threatened by another female presence, Stark? Of course not, I would gladly welcome it in this boys club,” Natasha told him and by this point all of the men in the room were watching wide eyed as they took turns making their point. Clint was grinning, almost gleefully watching the way Tony opened his mouth to defend himself before he was interrupted.

“Now, if it was a male member of your team, would you have made the same joke? Probably not. Or if you did, you would have meant it to be demeaning. Natasha can’t simply be wary about the fact that I’m an unknown seemingly in the midst of her family without any of you blinking an eye? She seems to be the reasonable one here, and yet you reduce that to us worried about looks because we happen to be women,” Auria told him scathingly.

“Exactly. Thank you, Auria. You know, I think you are growing on me,” Natasha told her with a nod and at this point Steve couldn’t contain his laughter anymore at the cowed way Tony looked between the women now watching each other with pleased expressions. Soon he was joined by Clint and even Bucky chuckled in under his breath.

“What the Hell just happened?” Tony asked them and Auria grinned.

“I wish Pepper had been here,” Steve chortled and Bucky smirked.

“I took the initiative to record for Ms. Potts’ later enjoyment, Mr. Rogers,” Friday announced over the speakers and Tony quickly took a swig out of his brown bottle.

“Remind me why I designed you again?” Tony asked the room sarcastically and the lights dimmed a bit, making Auria jump.

“You wanted someone to keep up with your quick wit. The food has arrived, Sir” Friday responded sweetly and Auria couldn’t help but laugh in under her breath.

Steve stood immediately, apparently going to retrieve dinner, and Clint stood up with a lazy stretch, prowling towards the kitchen area to help or hinder, it wasn’t quite clear.

“Come on, kiddos,” Tony called, retrieving glasses from behind a bar across from the couches. It was a spacious room, an entire wall glass and above them was a balcony, open to even more glass. If Auria hadn’t already known that she couldn’t get through that glass if her life depended on it, than she would have felt comforted by it. As it was all she could do was admire it, and worry about what kind of game Tony Stark wanted to play.

“Food first!” Steve called, entering the room with five plastic bags of take out. He carried it effortlessly and Auria fought down the urge to grin at the great use of the super soldier, but then Clint came from behind him, carrying plates and silverware. With his mouth shoved full. Auria ducked her head to hide her grin but she felt someone watching her.

She looked up in time to catch Bucky’s eyes on her and she winked at him, making him roll his eyes. She slid off the side onto the cushions, earning her a grin from Bucky before she looked away, towards the food that smelled absolutely heavenly.

“Fine, but only because Natasha can drink me in under if I don’t have anything on my stomach,” Tony told him, coming to take his seat and Bucky stood, crossing the room to retrieve a coffee table for them to eat on. Auria felt her eyebrows rise as he picked it up left handed, effortlessly lifting the heavy metal and carrying it back to them. He smirked as he caught her staring, returning her earlier wink and it was her turn to roll her eyes.

“Quit showing off and sit down, Barnes, some of us are starving,” Clint told him smugly, only yelping a little when Bucky flicked him in the temple. It was with his right hand, so it didn’t actually hurt that much but Clint still glared at him as if he had done something much worse, like stab him or something.  

Bucky was almost back to his spot when the fry hit him square in the back of the head, freezing him in his tracks. When he snapped around the glare at Clint with the frostiest eyes ever, the archer was innocently digging into his food. Natasha smiled sweetly at him, earning her a glare too.

“Buck, no, no food fights,” Steve started but it was too late, Bucky had already picked up the closest thing he could find, which happened to be a perfectly nice chicken strip by the way, and flung it at Clint. Clint blinked in surprise as it hit him in the face, hand snapping up to catch it as it bounced up and his eyes narrowed, the dangerous look somewhat dampened by the large bite he took out of the chicken strip.

“You really wanna do this?” Clint asked, and although Auria could see him try to maintain his fierce demeanor, his lips ahd started to curl up in anticipation.

“I just want to eat my food,” Natasha offered, and Auria raised her hand.

“Same,” Auria told them and although Bucky looked over at her his gaze quickly returned to his food fight foe.

“Here, don’t want you to starve,” Steve told her, offering her a burger from the table and she took it thankfully, unwrapping it quickly before leaning back into the cushions to watch the drama unfold. She practically inhaled her burger and Tony tossed her another one almost as soon as she was finished. She raised it in thanks before digging into it as well.

“Hey, wait, Clint, Barton, Sir, man, I thought you used a bow?” Auria suddenly asked, and everyone turned to her in surprise. She blushed lin under the combined stairs of some of the most powerful people she had ever met, all looking at her like she was crazy. Bucky gave Clint one last threat, mouthing later, before sinking into the cushions in between Steve and Auria.

“I do, I’m Hawkeye, but Clint is fine. Unless you want to go with Master Sexy,” Clint told her easily, snatching up the rest of his spared food.

“No, I’m Master Sexy, you are Master Sassy,” Tony told him firmly, pointing at him with a fry before popping it in his mouth.

“Okay, I’m sticking with Clint then, Clint. Last time I met you, I officially apologize for that by the way, you were shooting at people with a very large gun,” Auria told him and he shrugged, evidently not noticing the ketchup dripping off of his fry and onto his t-shirt. Natasha sighed and threw a napkin at him. How in the world was this the same man she saw accurately disarm a man, not kill but knock the gun out of his hand, from two buildings away?

“Sometimes you have to surprise people,” Clint told her while dabbing the ketchup off of his shirt and probably just setting the stain in.

Auria looked around at the company she suddenly found herself keeping, at the pair of what was basically spy trained assassins now sharing a pepsi on the loveseat across from her, the billionaire with a dangerous streak and crumbs in his goatee to her left and to her right were the soldiers out of time, now bickering over salad.

Steve was now pointedly eating his healthy looking food, covered in more vegetables than Auria actually had ever tried, while Bucky pointedly ignored him and poured more ketchup onto his plate. Auria grinned at them before it faded slightly at the realization that she didn’t really belong. They were actually more of a family than anything else and she wondered what the Flock was doing. She didn’t belong with them either, and yet she would do anything to keep them safe.

With growing somberness Auria realized that was what had scared her earlier, not the labs, the guilt at the sight of the blood, or the kindness, not even the Black Widow. Just all of it, combining to make a growing sense of attachment that she felt towards this random bunch of people that felt just as deserving of care as the Flock. She was growing attached to them already. Damn it.

Everyone slowly finished eating amidst bickering and laughter, and infrequent pause’s that didn’t feel strained although Auria could hear her heart beat every time she thought about the fact that she couldn’t let any of these people get hurt for her. She suddenly lost her appetite, and she weakly smiled away Tony’s triumphant prodding about being right that she couldn’t’ eat that much, almost causing another food fight by throwing a ketchup packet at him. It was one of the most relaxed nights she had had in a while, especially while in company.

That was until Friday announced the attack on the city, asking the Avengers to assemble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the super long wait guys! School, and holidays, and things, and ahhhhhh, but here we are! I hope you enjoy it! Just tell me if it is going to slow or if you have anything to say :D Thank you for reading!


	19. Savage and Nudge, and some Brats

Auria watched the idle friends leap into action, fluidly moving around each other without a second thought. Everyone was in motion before Auria even realized what the A.I had said. They ran, quickly moving to find weapons and armor in a strange efficient calm that swept over the room as the previously relaxed group turned into heroes before her eyes. The city couldn’t be under attack, no one was crazy enough. Not after the Avengers held off an entire alien invasion.

Steve confidently bounded down the hall, powerful legs moving out of sight before Friday was even finished alerting them, Bucky right on his heels. Clint’s lazy slouch rolled into a leap over the coffee table, presumably headed for where ever his bow was, while Natasha actually flipped off of the back of the couch, gracefully twisting midair to land on her feet and out of the commotion as she too went in search of weapons, although, Auria noted a few light touches reassuring Natasha of the weapons already on her person.

Tony was the slowest, dramatically sighing at being interrupted before his drinking game. He stood and with a grand flourish the thin bracelets at his wrists lit up. Auria snapped out of her shock as Tony strut through the room, his armor flying to him and encasing him in the Iron Man suit as she watched. Steve was already dressed in his patriotic armor, appreciatively skin tight, securing his shield on his forearm as the glass opened wide.

Auria had actually froze, curling her legs up on the couch to get out of the way of the ordered chaos as she watched the commotion, wide eyed and with a touch of awe. It had happened so quickly and Iron Man was quickly joined by Captain America, mask in place and shield by his side.

Auria searched for Bucky, jumping when she found him standing behind her, clad once again in all black, looking lethal and dangerous and maybe a bit exciting. Auria’s eyes widened as Bruce Banner walked in with Black Widow and Hawkeye, looking adorably out of place between the leather clad duo in his button up and lab coat. If they had retrieved Bruce then they were in _very_ big trouble.

“Hey, told you that you should have stopped for lunch with us. Now we have to go save the world or something and you are fueled on nothing but that ridiculous excuse for coffee that you drink,” Tony told him, his face mask up in order to harass the scientist, and Bruce groaned, rubbing his face and dislodging his glasses.

“It’s perfectly fine coffee, Tony, and I was actually drinking tea this time,” Bruce informed him wearily before asking, adjusting his glasses with the kind of tone that brooked no time for Tony’s crap at the moment. It made Auria smirk, appreciating the soft spoken man a bit more.

“What’s going on?” Auria asked Bucky, standing quickly to face the assembled team, but it was Tony that answered.

“No idea, bunch a crazies just turned half wolf in time square,” Tony told them wryly, his voice mechanical through the helmet that flipped down in order to show him the footage. He whistled, evidently impressed with the carnage and Auria felt ice shiver down her spine and making her straighten as six pairs of eyes turned towards her.

“Well, guess that means I’m coming guys,” Auria told them with a halfhearted grin, shrugging out of her coat.

“You don’t have to come,” Bucky told her firmly, but his eyes were on the others, slightly dangerous and evidently telling them as well.

“Yeah I do,” she told him, nudging his shoulder with one of her own to get his attention. He frowned down at her, and she couldn’t help her small smile.

“Sir, a message is trying to come through. I believe it is the young acquaintance of Auria’s,” Friday announced and Auria felt her heart leap, eyes darting to Tony.

“Let it through,” he quickly told the system in under her intense gaze. They heard a click, as if a phone was being answered and a silence screamed at her for far too long.

“Nudge!?” Auria prompted in terror, thoughts of the Erasers getting ahold of the young girl making her hands shake.

“Auria! Oh, I’m so glad to hear you, we thought they had you! Erasers and Elites and even Flyboys just appeared out of nowhere! We were coming to find you, Max wanted to help, but then we were split up,” Nudge babbled her voice on the edge of hysteria and Auria felt light with relief at hearing her speak.

“Where are you? I’m on my way,” Auria told her, striding between Iron Man and Captain America without really seeing them, her eyes on the air outside that lead to the girl that needed her. Then it was full of wings.  An Eraser rose on wide speckled feathers that framed his bugling form, covered in a dark coarse fur the same mottled brown as his wings. She recognized those burning black eyes cradled in his distorted face.

“Savage,” Auria breathed in surprise, stopping in her tracks as his lips curled back away from his long jagged fangs, a macabre impression of a smile on his muzzle.

“Aureeeah,” he growled through his monstrous throat, red tongue lolling as he tried to shape her name and she felt a shiver of repulsion through her whole frame, chilling her and reminding her of the last time she had seen that mouth. It had been trying to tear through her throat.

“I made it to the rendezvous, but no one else is here. Auria? Are you okay?” Nudge asked over the intercom but Auria couldn’t answer as she stared at the Eraser hovering before them. With each flap of his enormous wings it sent a wave of air at them, the smell of sweat, metal, and over it all feral animal. 

 She felt some one come stand behind her but she didn’t look away as Savage snapped his jaw shut, tilting his chin up and grunting in pain as his muscles and very bone shifted around, morphing back into something closer to human, face purposely designed to be attractive. His eyes still reflected the light with an animalistic glow and when he grinned at her from his handsome face his teeth were still too sharp, not fitting inside his mouth.

"Look at the little bird. Ended up in a cage after all didn’t you?” Savage taunted her, voice a cringing mixture of lilting seductively and gruff animalistic growls. 

“You need to stand down,” Steve ordered from beside her. She hadn’t noticed his approach and she flinched away from his harsh tone.  From her other side she felt a warm hand wrap around her wrist, and her eyes darted to Bucky’s fingers restraining the hand trying to raise a knife in front of her. Her heart was beating fast, almost painfully in her chest and she knew he could feel it through her skin.

“Are you going to make me Captain America, will you join me in the sky?” Savage rasped with a maniacal chuckle that raised the hair on the back of Auria’s neck. It seemed to unsettle everyone else as well, and Auria’s hand twisted to lightly touch Bucky’s arm. She used her other hand to put back up her knife. 

“I am so insulted that i didn't get an invitation. Cap’s more of a ground man, but I would love to!” Iron Man told him, and she heard the sound of the repulsors, raising him into the air. 

“Iron Man, another so called hero. Really Auria, you ran away from us to be grounded by _them?”_ Savage asked scathingly and she felt her feathers rise, ruffling at the insinuation that she couldn’t fly. Her eyes narrowed, considering why he thought it was so safe to be close. What was he up to? And why did he think she couldn’t fly? Someone had given him false information. 

“You aren’t going to touch me, not any of you. You don’t want the others to rip out the little tawny wings of the mouthy one do you?” Savage asked, his eyes focused on Auria’s, savoring her reaction as she gasped in almost psychical pain, her grey eyes widening with horror. She opened her mouth but she was cut off before she could threaten to _end_ him.

A child’s scream echoed over the intercom, the sound digging its claws into Auria’s chest and dragging her across the room before she realized she was moving, ripping out of Bucky’s hold before the scream was done ringing in her ears.

“What is your friend going to think when you don’t come save her? You can’t come out, pretty bird,” he taunted from the air. 

“Watch me,” Auria snarled, leaping out of the open doors and into the sky before he even registered that he had miscalculated, she was able to fly and he had made a very very bad mistake. Fire burnt through her veins, pooling behind her eyes and blinding her with the force of her anger.

Auria slammed into him midair, wrapping her hands around his neck. She didn’t take the time to slow down and try to avoid injury. Instead she used her own body as a weapon, crashing into him and shoving them into the nearest building with enough force to send spider web cracks spreading out from the impact in the highly enforced glass.

Savage scrabbled at the hold on his throat with his sharp claws, but she didn’t even flinch. He tried to buck her off of him but she only held on tighter, spreading her wings and sending them downward with enough force to rocket her into the air, dragging him unwillingly with her.

He tried to get away, his own patched on wings frantically flapping against the glass and buffeting to get away from her but it was futile against the strength of her own wings riding the air. He snarled, throat moving grotesquely in under her fingers as he changed once more, back into the wolfish beast, but it only made her hold on tighter, refusing to break her hold on him as his jaws snapped at her. He had always enjoyed the kill, lingering over the deaths that they permitted him, enough so that the labcoats had remarked on his savagery. It was not in their nature to name their experiments, but the brutality of his kills had made him stand out. He had always used his teeth to rip apart his opponents instead of using any of the weapons that they had trained him to excel at using. That in itself had earned him a name.

“Auria! Do not kill him, don’t make us take you down,” Stark shouted to her, hovering beside her and she furiously snarled at the masked man, not releasing her hold on the frantic Eraser. Then they were in the air, and she shoved with all of her might, tumbling him backwards and onto the gravel of the roof of the skyscraper.

His wings flapped uselessly in the wrong direction before he crumpled back onto the hard surface, grunting in pain as he slid against the harsh surface. Auria alit gracefully, stalking after him as her wings folded behind her.

She heard Iron Man touch down, but she was on the injured man before he could stop her, straddling his chest and pinning his arms by his sides with her knees. He snarled, face twisting up as he lunged to bite up at her but she easily grabbed his face and slammed his head into the concrete surface. He howled in pain, arching beneath her but she did it again, making him still with the realization that he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Where. Is. She?!” Auria spat out, emphasizing each word by squeezing harder against his throat. Soon his eyes were bulging as he gasped at nothing, unable to breath around her bruising hold, and she let him squirm beneath her before finally loosening the smallest bit. He gratefully sucked in air, the painful sound making her smirk triumphantly.  

“Fuck you,” he slurred. She tightened her hold again, making him choke. She felt the skin in under her nails break.

“I’d let you have him but Captain and his sidekick of freedom are on their way,” Tony warned her, and she glanced to the side to see his face plate up and revealing the worried frown in under his goatee.  

He held up three fingers, slowly lowering each one and sure enough as his hand tilted to point his last finger at the door to the building it was kicked open and Captain America was charging onto the roof. He was quickly followed by his shadow dressed in black and then two pairs of blue eyes stared at her, shocked at the sight of her fingers digging into the man’s throat and his painful convulsions from beneath her. She didn’t move.

“Auria, you have to let him go,” Captain America ordered her, jaw firm and she watched the way his shield lifted in the slightest of threats. Bucky didn’t say a word, but his eyes said everything as he took in the vicious cast of her face. His eyes were wide and tragic. He was appalled. She didn’t care, couldn’t, and so she just looked away, turning back to the Eraser in under her.

“Tell me and I won’t have to rip your throat out,” Auria threatened calmly, repeating the words he had once growled at her as she lifted off of his throat once more.

She didn’t try to lower her voice and she heard Stark’s quick inhale of surprise, but otherwise no one made a sound. Savage gasped in relief, and this time his eyes rolled in his head as he tried to fill his lungs. He looked to where Steve and Bucky were standing. His animalistic characteristics shifted back, leaving him looking young and human, and scared. His eyes pleaded with them and the innocent act made her blood sing with the need to just go ahead and rip his eyes out and make him eat them. 

“You can’t, they won’t let you,” Savage spat out quickly in under his breath but she was pleased to see the fear in his eyes whenever she leaned down, bringing her face closer to his. His eyes snapped to watch hers, the white showing all around and she let the tips of her nails dig into his skin, ignoring the way the blood slid over her fingers.

“I was created to kill you. Do you want to take that chance?” Auria asked him, deathly calm and she felt the air around her change as the heroes prepared to dive for her, convinced by her words. But was he? Evidently it was, for then he burst into words, quickly tearing out of his throat as if he had to force them.

“They don’t really have her, it was just a recording, they filmed it last time in the lab, I swear!” Savage screamed as she bore down on him once more, relief and then doubt flooding through her.

“If you are lying to me I swear it doesn’t matter where they put you, I will find you and I will make you regret ever thinking you could spare yourself pain,” Auria told him, and if her voice deepened with bloodthirsty promise that scared even her then it only made her more certain he was telling the truth when he nodded through his fear.

“I didn’t lie, I didn’t,” he repeated, and she quickly stood, releasing him and leaving him gasping in shock and relief. She stared down at the man blankly, considering how differently it had ended this time. He stared back, something shifting behind his dark gaze as if he was thinking the same thing.

Steve quickly closed in, kneeling beside the wounded man and looking him over for lethal wounds but he quickly scrambled away from Steve, not a trace of the pleading left on his stone face. Tony walked up behind him and casually grabbed his shoulder stopping him in his tracks.

“You aren’t going anywhere,” Tony promised him, but Auria was already turning away, moving to leap off of the building before she was stopped in her tracks by someone in her way. Bucky was waiting.

“Get out of my way, Barnes,” Auria told him but he didn’t budge as she strode forward. She moved to walk around him but she was blocked by a glinting silver arm, held out in front of her.

“James Buchannan Barnes if you do not move, I will move you,” Auria threatened, glaring into his blue eyes that were far too calm. Only the slightest tilt of his lips showed his disapproval.

“You aren’t doing anything else until you explain yourself,” Steve barked as he moved closer and she snapped her head around to glare into another pair of stern blue eyes, this one contained in a scowl.

“I am not taking his word that she is okay until I see that little girl safe and sound. She’s thirteen, Captain, and if I have to move absolutely every person between me and her until I am sure that those bastards haven’t touched her again then I am most certainly _going too_ ,” Auria told him fiercely, twisting to face him and it was only when Bucky lightly grabbed her shoulder that she realized that she was closing in on him.

She shrugged his hand off, ruffling her feathers and stretching her wings before walking around the black clad assassin and leaping onto to the small wall of cement that was supposed to keep people on the building and was about to fail at its job.

 Then she leapt, wings snapping open to catch her before she twisted in air and dived letting gravity aid her in picking up speed. She had somewhere to be, and someone to get too. And no one was going to stop her.

 

* * *

 

 

Steve was frowning when Bucky turned back to look at him but he waved after her.

“Go,” Steve told him, and Bucky almost hesitated at the hint of disappointment but then Steve was turning around and issuing orders to his team over the coms , Black Widow and Hawkeye having went to Times Square. Bucky went, leaping over the wall to land on the fire escape a few stories below.

He landed with a crouch, old metal creaking before he jumped off again, using his metal arm to catch the metal every few stories to slow his fall. Then he was down and he was running, efficiently ignoring the traffic by going over it. His eyes were on the sky, tracking the movement of the girl in the sky.

There was only so many spaces to fly in between the skyscrapers and he easily tracked her movement, only losing her once before he caught her reflection.

“Bucky, I think we found Auria’s kids. There are a group of ‘em flying around here, and doing an impressive job of holding off these nasty wolf fellas,” Steve’s voice told him over the com in his ear and Bucky raised his eyebrows at the amusement in his voice.

“Roger that, Rogers,” Bucky replied quickly, running and leaping over a locked fence.

 Then she was down, folding her wings as she ducked into an alley. He followed her in, ducking as he caught the glint of silver before moving closer and pulling the knife out of her hands.

“I told you I was coming.,” Bucky told her with a grin when she realized who he was and she exhaled an extremely long breath that made it seem like she wasn’t that happy to see him.

“Come on then,” Auria told him before darting off down the alley. He followed

“Steve says your kids are busy fighting the Erasers in Times Square,” Bucky told her and he saw her miss a step, face flashing with something so vulnerable it made his heart thump unhealthily. She nodded in acknowledgment, not trusting her voice to speak, but he had seen that look and wasn’t fooled by her emotionless demeanor.

He didn’t know what they were looking for but whenever she picked up the speed he did as well, the memory of that scream locked in his head. He was pretty sure he was going to have nightmares because of that scream and that in itself was enough to keep him moving, in search of the girl.

“Auria!” someone screamed, and even as the familiar voice registered Bucky was still lifting his gun at brown and pink bundle of girl that wrapped itself around Auria before she could react.

“Nudge!” Auria exclaimed in relief, arms lifting to wrap around the girl while simultaneously turning to put herself in between Nudge and Bucky. Her grey eyes were on his gun and he lowered it to her satisfied nod.

“Wow, you’re hugging me, who taught you how to hug?” Nudge exclaimed, and Auria carefully didn’t look at Bucky as her cheeks heated, but then Nudge kept talking not noticing her sudden awkwardness, “I’m so glad you were here, I was talking to you and then the call got cut off and when I tried to hack back in it was blocked.”

Auria sighed, uncomfortably tightening her hold in an attempt at an actual embrace before quickly dropping her arms and letting the girl back away. Bucky looked her over as she chattered, noting the lack of weapons, and too bright pink jacket that drew too much attention. Her eyes lit up when Auria recounted the others whereabouts and he saw her psychically relax, voice calming into cheery chatter.

She was a warm brown color, with dark brown eyes and brown curls framing a pretty face. She was probably going to be a beauty older but for now she was still in the phase where she fell sharply between being a little girl and wanting to grow up. She wore makeup, lightly applied other than the bright pink lip gloss and she had barrettes pinning her bangs away from her face. For some Bucky found himself smiling at the way she bounced up and down while she talked.

“… so I know they are totally fine, because Max is with them, but I didn’t know where they went! I totally took your advice though, because you told me last time, that if I see the chance go for the drop and then get out, and I did! For some reason it seemed like they were targeting me and Fang told me to go so I kicked the Eraser in the throat, you should’ve seen his face,” Nudge told Auria and Auria quickly  covered her mouth.

“Nudge. I am sure they are fine, I am very proud of you, and it’s good to see you too, but we need to get you back to Max,” Auria told her and Nudge nodded enthusiastically, dislodging the hand over her lips.

“Okay! By the way, hello there, I’m Nudge as you know now, sorry about lying before, part of the life you know?” Nudge told Bucky, suddenly turning the entire force of her personality on him and he blinked in surprise, tensing as if he might run.

“Nudge, breathe. Let’s go, wanna meet Steve Rogers? He’s there,” Auria asked her, exciting her into coming without interrogating the poor assassin anymore and Bucky chuckled at the squeal of excitement.

“I can’t believe we get to meet the Avengers! I hope Max isn’t too mean to them, I would like to be on friendly terms and you already broke in and got caught and everything.”  


“Hey! I did just fine thank you, and you know. Max is gonna be Max, so…” Auria trailed off but she was smiling fondly and Bucky’s eyes narrowed. Who was this Max?

He moved to flank the two girls, moving off to the side so that he could watch the young one’s side. Auria watched him out of the corner of her eyes, and he caught her smile before it fell abruptly. She reached out to him and he watched her hand in surprise.

“Come on,” Auria prompted him and he hesitated as he looked down at his metal hand but she just looked at it pointedly. He lifted it to settle against her own, lightly curling his fingers, scared to hold on too tight but she wrapped her hand around his. She tugged him up next to Nudge, their arms around the younger girls back, making him walk with them instead of guarding them. He looked back up at her face to find her sternly staring ahead, avoiding his gaze but her face was turning red as she squeezed his hand, assuring him it wasn’t anything he did, before dropping his hand.

“There. That’s better,” Auria told them and Bucky looked down to see if Nudge was as confused as he was. She seemed to be immensely amused, and her eyes were dancing as she stared up at him in surprise, smile wide.

“She must really like you,” Nudge told him and he felt himself smile in return, ignoring Auria’s scoff.

 

* * *

 

 

“What’s got your tights in a twist? You weren’t the one the brats were using as a trampoline, I swear the Iron Man suit is priceless and they just go and use it as part of their aerial acrobatics, no respect at all,” Tony complained, glaring up at the kids perched on the balcony. They had glared whenever Tony had asked them to come back to the Tower, and had been about to fly off whenever Steve had told them Bucky was with Auria and Nudge and that they were on the way. That had shut the mouthy one up.

Now they sat together, up on the balcony of some restaurant and quietly conversing amongst themselves. They either didn’t notice, or didn’t care that Hawkeye was perched on the fire escape of the building right next door. All of them had retrieved a jacket, and with their wings covered they didn’t stand out from any of the other teenagers. Except they watched them carefully, the wary look that Tony was used to seeing out of Barnes or even Natasha.

He sighed, rubbing his facial hair as he considered the ragtag group in front of him. They were annoying as hell, but that little blonde one wrapped around the eldest girl couldn’t be older than eight.  The older girl was currently giving him a look that made him want to flip her off, probably because she had earlier called him ‘grandpa’ but he didn’t chance it standing next to Steve.

“Come on, they were pretty impressive. You’re just mad the blonde boy jumped off of your face,” Steve goaded him, and Tony glared. He probably had smudges. Smudges on his _face plate_. This was why he didn’t have children.

“No one jumped off of your face so what’s going on?” Tony grumbled, and Steve rubbed his jaw, the contemplative look on his face that was usually followed by some deep talk Tony didn’t actually want to have but couldn’t get out of. Hell _,_ he had even started this one. Being in a team was corrupting him with things like caring.

“I thought it was good that Bucky was showing in interest in Auria, but,” Steve hesitated and Tony stood up straighter.

“But now?”

“She’s dangerous, Tony. When I saw her on that roof...”

“We’re all dangerous. Have you seen my smile? It’s totally killer,” Tony told him and Steve rolled his eye. 

“Seriously, your jokes are getting worse. I know we’re dangerous, but I also know our intentions. Do we know anything about hers? Bucky has had enough trouble, he doesn’t deserve anymore,” Steve told him and Tony couldn’t find anything within him to disagree. It had been heartbreaking to see the man being rehabilitated but even now Tony could see what Steve couldn’t. Bucky wasn’t just interested in Auria, he saw himself in her, even her dangerous side.

The kids above them moved, standing and the younger boy even waved, shouting something at the approaching figures, wading through the, comparatively, small mayhem of broken food carts, cars, and chairs. Tony nudged Steve.

“Well, here comes trouble.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... I lost my thumb drive. With everything I've ever written on it. Including a couple of chapters for this story. I'm just gonna leave that there, because it simultaneously makes me want to throw my lap top through the window, and eat a gallon of ice cream while sobbing. 
> 
> I will try to update soon, but I've just been so frustrated. Let me know what you think, and I'll work on it! Love you guys, so sorry.


	20. The Flock

Auria felt herself relax, muscles she hadn’t even realized she had tensed releasing in relief at the sight of the Flock. Auria’s hand instinctively shot out to tightly to grab the back of Nudge’s bright jacket and hold her back as she waved excitedly. She walked forward slowly, keeping hold of the younger girl to keep her by her side and slightly behind her where her body could shelter her.

“Hold on princess, they're on that balcony for a reason,” Auria explained quickly whenever Nudge glared at her. Her face flushed in embarrassment whenever Bucky’s eyes snapped to hers at the endearment but she pointedly ignored him, focusing on searching for danger. Her eyes roved over their surroundings, taking in the minimal damage to food carts and restaurants, and even a few cars. Minimal because Auria had seen some of the aftermath of an Avengers’ fight before, and this was basically something a good broom could handle instead of the war zone usually left behind.

Her eyes narrowed. That should be a good thing, and yet whomever had attacked had obviously not put up much of a fight. They had attacked the Avengers and yet… there wasn’t a sign of them. The Avengers themselves were still here, Captain America and Iron Man standing in under the terrace the Flock were currently using as their personal perch, but they were both seemingly relaxed. Stark’s face plate was up, and he had been chatting with Rogers, his helmet was held loosely in his hands.

She couldn’t find Romanov and a chill went down her spine as she looked over the group of kids now standing and coming to wait precariously close to the edge. It would be a killer drop, and if they had been anyone else they would have at least looked aware of the fall. Instead they only leaned forward, relief evident on all of their faces, even Max’s even though Auria could tell she was trying to remain stoic, as they waved back at Nudge. They seemed uninjured, and yet a small movement caught her eye and her gaze darted to where Barton was shifting closer. This time the narrowing of her eyes was accompanied with a small snarl and although she was way too far away for him to hear her Barton held his hands up and leaned away.

When her glare didn’t waver he took the hint and slid out of sight, dropping to the ground and moving around to where his teammates were gathered, his hands raised once again to show her how harmless he was. Now she looked back to the Flock, taking in the casual stances and chatter not quite hiding the vigilant eyes.

Max wasn’t even trying to be stealthy with her distrust, she stood with her arms crossed and feet apart as she glared down at everyone and anything with her alert brown eyes. Beside her, to the left, Angel stood almost in contrast to Max's toughness, her hair was as blonde as Max’s but fell in perfect curls that made her blue eyes and sweet smile as heavenly as her name. Looks could be deceiving, for behind that childlike façade laid a powerful mind and a power to read and control minds that terrified Auria, even if the child didn’t. Angel smiled sweetly at the thought and Auria huffed in annoyance, but returned the smile.

Gazzy stood beside her, their shared dna leaving him with the same blonde hair and blue eyes, and although they were the only two related by blood that didn’t mean they were any less connected to the others. In fact Gazzy was currently chattering animatedly to the tall boy beside him, no doubt explaining in detail what was happening around them. Young man now, Auria amended, seeing how much Iggy had grown since the last time she had really seen them. He had grown into his skin, his sightless blue eyes bright against his pale skin and strawberry tinted blonde hair. He had learned to live without sight in a way that astounded Auria, and he moved with such confidence that she usually forgot that he was blind but outside of that he wasn’t the leader that Max or even Fang was, retreating into himself. Now he didn’t. His head was tilted to hear his young friends’ descriptions but there was a small smile on his face, not quite confidence, but a composure exuded from him.

Thinking of Fang she found him next, the dark young man standing to Max’s right of course. His olive skin and dark hair and eyes made him a shadow beside her, and if his midnight wings had been showing it would have only reinforced the comparison. His expression was carefully guarded, unlike Max’s, and even his eyes seemed calm. Auria knew that he was observing, ready to protect at a moment’s notice. His eyes didn’t move from the super heroes beneath them. The only member of the Flock missing was the one beside her, and it seemed like they weren’t quite complete without Nudge up there with them. Auria quickened her pace, hand still protectively in place until she could replace it with Max’s.

“Took you long enough, what, did you get beat up on the way or something?” Max called as soon as they were close enough and Auria rolled her eyes heavenward, releasing the bundle of energy at her side. Bucky stiffened, and the group of heroes shuffled in surprise at Max’s question.

“Had some saving to do. Seems like you’ve lost something. Seriously, it's like I keep doing your job for you these days,” Auria retorted quickly and she saw Max’s eyes flash as Nudge protested with an annoyed ‘hey’.

“I don’t know, you come to town and suddenly there’s Erasers crawling out of the wood works. Seems to me you’re a freak magnet, Auria. I could do my job if you didn’t cause so much trouble,” Max told her with a smirk, shifting weight in anticipation as Auria’s temper sparked.

“You would know all about that wouldn’t you, _Maximum Ride_. I think I’ve been doing better than you considering I didn’t lose one of the kids after getting into a fight in Times Square,” Auria taunted, and as she always did whenever Auria made fun of her name by using it reverently, Max lost it.

“Get your second rate birdkid butt up here and we’ll settle who could do it _better_ ,” Max challenged, and Auria heard a collective groan from the Flock. Bucky was blinking in surprise, torn between coming to Auria’s defense and being thrown for a loop by the light in her eyes. She was enjoying this.

“You’ve literally been talking for like three minutes, can we please not do this again?” Nudge asked with a groan, rolling her eyes in the way only teenagers could but the boys on the other hand looked excited. Angel had started to frown.

“That didn’t even make sense, Max, but if you’re asking me to beat your ass again, anytime,” Auria told her, ignoring Nudges’ complaints, and she blinked in surprise as Bucky’s mouth dropped open.

“Wait, your Max?” Stark blurted, and Bucky was grateful it was before he could, as the blondes head whipped towards the older man, the heat from her challenge still in her eyes no matter that he was still clad in his red and gold suit.

“Got a problem with that?” Max asked.

“How about we calm down and start over. You can't fight everyone,” Rogers told her firmly, if soothingly and she took the time to glare at him instead but before she could respond they were all startled into silence by a chuckle. Auria’s eyes widened as she turned to find Bucky looking up at Max with admiration in his blue eyes, and it seemed as if a light switch had been turned on behind his skin, lighting him up and reminding her of the smirking man in all of the old army photos she had seen.

“Remind you of anyone, Stevie?” Bucky asked, eyebrows raised pointedly and Steve glared at him, with all of the righteousness he could muster, and in Captain America’s case, that was quite a bit. Bucky didn’t seem phased by it in the least, and in fact his smile seemed to grow, making Auria’s heart beat faster. It seemed to have the opposite effect on Max, her expression made it pretty clear that she would rip his face off.

“Where’s Widow?” Auria asked, breaking up whatever argument was about to start. While it was always fun to fight Max, it was another thing to let someone else do it, and it seemed like Max was ready to go against any of them no matter what serum they had in their veins. Max was like that though.

“Nat was getting coffee,” Hawkeye told her nonchalantly, as if that was a reasonable thing to be doing at the moment. Auria blinked at him before throwing her head back and sighing, letting the air escape her and take the tension that had been building with it.

“Raincheck on the rematch Maximum. Get your kids and get out of here, I’ll handle the groundwork,” Auria told her, and even though Max started to bristle at the tone of voice she still nodded, accepting the help. When it came to protecting the others she wouldn’t turn it down.

“Wait a moment, no one is going anywhere until we figure out what just happened,” Rogers told them and Max and Auria immediately looked at each other in amusement. Did he really think they were going to listen to him?

“Give us a call if you run into something uglier than usual, I’ll come save the day,” Max told her, ignoring Steve’s bark of outrage at being unheeded, and Auria nodded. Nudge was shrugging out of her jacket, looking at her audience bashfully before stretching out her tawny wings. They shaded to cream and brown, beautifully blending and framing her skin tone and Auria watched the men’s eyes widen. It was one thing to be told that these kids had wings, quite another to see.

Auria was proud to note that it was a beautiful sight as she offered Nudge a hand and helped her take a leap and casually rise in a gust of wind that ruffled their hair and left them gaping. As soon as she was up the others were doing the same, coats being removed swiftly and taking turns stepping into open air before wings caught them and carried them up.  The sky was full of multicolored feathers, the pure angelic white clouds that were of course Angels’, the light grey to white shades of Iggy’s with the brown and white barn owl colored wings of the always faithful Gazzy by his side. With them in the air Fang followed with a nod from Max, guarding their vulnerable side as they swooped towards the open air above the buildings.

“You can’t just leave!” Tony Stark barked, his helmet snapping into place as he prepared for flight but Max leveled him with a cool stare and he hesitated.

“I will answer any of your questions. But if you try to follow them you are a threat, and we will not be responsible for protecting ourselves,” Auria warned him and Max smirked, meeting her eyes respectfully before she prepared to follow her Flock. She was barely into the air when they heard the scream, and Auria jerked forward as if electrocuted by the sound.

Her head snapped in the direction of the sound to find Black Widow running towards them, lithely darting over and around the falling objects in her path as a massive hulking man followed. She rolled over the hood of the car, getting off a shot that only seemed to enrage him and the beast of a man roared as he shoved the car out of his way, sending it crashing into a store.

“Go!” Auria screamed at Max, and she saw the other girl hesitate before the sound of the Flock’s surprise sent her up faster than a rocket. That speed was her own special power, a side effect of her engineering and now she was in front of her kids and protecting them from the creatures descending from the roofs where they had been hidden.

Auria was off before Max blurred before her eyes, ripping her stolen jacket off and dropping it to the ground as she unfurled her massive grey wings and ran up a parked car to take to the sky. Iron Man raced passed her, the wind catching her wings and blowing her to the side even as it propelled her higher and she took the chance to rise to where Max was now trying to cut her way through the swarm of robots called Flyboys. Below her Iron Man was working on subduing the man that was most definitely an Elite, one of the few engineered after Max’s generation of experiments and created to fix all of the flaws of the previous. They had obviously failed, and yet there was something to say for the Elites they created if it wasn’t snobbish for Auria to say so.

 Whatever they had been made for they excelled at. For the man now pummeling Iron Man while fending off the combined attacks of Captain America and Bucky Barnes that was obviously strength. Black Widow was now evacuating the women caught inside the battle zone, and the source of the earlier scream, while simultaneously fighting what seemed to be another Elite or at least and Eraser. Hawkeye was scaling the building, shooting at the Flyboys that had turned from the Flock to swoop down at the Avengers. He never missed.

Auria swooped below Nudge, who was now careening dangerously low in an effort to attack the robot trying to engage with Iggy but Auria’s rush below her made her rise as she reached out to slam into the Flyboy. She wrapped her hands around its ‘throat’, ignoring the very dangerous hands now slicing at her abdomen and twisted as hard as she could, ripping its head off its body. It fell from the sky in two pieces as she released it.

“Do not engage! Get out of here!” Auria bellowed and Nudge listened indignantly, wings flapping harder to rise instead of to coast and Iggy followed, his wings brushing against Gazzy’s too make sure that he was still there. A well-aimed kick from Fang sent a Flyboy hurtling into a building with a crunch that didn’t bode well for its reappearance, before he did an impressive roll and followed. Soon they were above the fighting, Max full on punching and kicking off of the machines so that they crashed into each other before Auria flew past, grabbing onto ones arm. She grabbed the other and they circled, twisting it in half.

An arrow whizzed past, making Auria’s heart leap and she yelped as it buried itself into the weak part of a Flyboys neck and sending it spiraling to the ground. Auria looked over her shoulder, sending a wave to the archer already firing another arrow.

            “Get out of here, Max, get them to safety,” Auria told her as she fell back to fly at her left. They flew in opposite directions as a Flyboy came at them from behind, causing it stall in the air just long enough for them to circle and Auria to bury one of her knives in its neck. A spark of electricity shocked her and she bit back a cry of pain as she instinctively let go of her knife. The robot flew in staggered zigzags, trying to remain in the air before it shorted out and it crashed in a flash of heat. She cursed at the loss of her weapon but punched Max on the shoulder whenever she tried to fly into combat again.

“ _Now_ ,” Auria told her and she saw Max’s eyes spark in anger before Auria continued with a gesture above, “They need you.”

          

“It looks like you need me,” Max retorted and Auria felt her heart contract painfully. Her smile was genuine even if it felt fragile as she reached out to grab Max’s shoulder in thanks.

“Thank you. But you have a family to take care of, and it seems like I’ve got a bunch of superheroes to save. I will find you when this is over,” Auria promised and Max reluctantly nodded, before rising above the conflict and taking the lead of the Flock that had been circling above, dispatching the odd robot. With Max in the lead they fell into a formation, feathers brushing against each other as if to reassure each other they were all there and as they escaped into the clouds, Auria watched them go with an ache in her chest.  But then she sighed in relief to see them gone and safe and with that last sight in her mind she closed her eyes and then her wings and fell.

 She felt the wind whistle in her ears, whipping her loose hair around her face and ripping at her close as she hurtled towards the earth now consumed in a full brawl of Avengers and what seemed to be every last one of the Itex’s experiments. Auria looked over the field, caught sight of Black Widow incapacitating an Eraser with a quick kick to the jaw that sent him collapsing on his face, knocked out cold. The sky was quickly clearing, arrows whizzing around her as Hawkeye took out the Flyboys now weaving and trying to get out of his range, seemingly impossible. Steve Rogers had turned to using that shield of his as a Frisbee of destruction, ricocheting off of the remaining Erasers and keeping them away from the panicked humans down the street, Bucky by his side and putting them down with quick efficient shots to the knees. Tony had somehow disentangled himself from the monster of muscles and was blasting him from out of his range, knocking to him to his knees before he righted himself.

Auria focused on him and smirked as she righted herself, turning in air to land feet first on top of his shoulders with all of the force of falling out of the sky from the top of skyscrapers. It sent pain jolting up through her body as her bones ground against each other but she knelt with the impact as he was shoved into the ground, using the momentum to shove off in a backflip, just in time to leap out of his reach as a massive paw of a hand swiped at her.

She landed with a grunt, kneeling with the motion and instinctively bringing her hands up in front of her, warily aiming a knife at him with her right hand but he was still down from her assault, face bloody from being scraped against the pavement. From up close she realized that he wasn’t a man, but just a giant teenager really, and the sight of his youthful face hit her in the gut, leaving her breathless as emotion over took her and her stomach roiled. He was little older than a boy, probably a little older than Gazzy but when he dragged himself to his feet and Auria followed he towered over her, muscles bulging and shifting around as he spit out blood. His bulging hateful green eyes burned as they focused on her and her wings automatically flared in challenge.

“It is you,” he said as he lumbered closer, the voice that of a high pitched child coming out of his massive frame making her wince with the _wrongness_ of it all.

“In the flesh and feathers. This whole thing can’t be about little old me though,” Auria told him with a flourish, prying for information and he grunted, peering down at her with something akin to hate and more startling envy.

“No, but they told me that you would be here,” he told her, eyes lighting up and she realized with a start that he had gotten in range to grab her with his long reach too late to dodge as he grabbed for her. He stumbled back with a roar as Stark blasted him once more, singing his fingers. Auria looked over her shoulder in relief, nodding her thanks.

"You're mine!” he roared, diving for her so quickly that Stark didn’t have time to blast him unless he wanted to hit Auria as well and Auria fell with a startled scream, cutting it off with a  snap of her jaws as soon as she realized the panic sound had come from her. He was massive on top of her, too strong to overpower and his hands moved to wrap around her throat where he could quickly crush her windpipe but she was quick. Her knife dove up to slash as his wrists, keeping them away from her before she turned to blade for his face. He cried out, the sound a cry that sounded like it came from a small boy as she sliced above his eye and it made her hesitate long enough for him to retaliate, shoving at her without aiming. His brute strength mad her head bounce off of the ground, hard enough that her vision flickered and she thought she could hear her brain rattle around.

 Then he was peppered with bullets, his side spraying scarlet as he rolled away from her and she gasped in relief as she turned her head to see Bucky’s frozen expression as he continued to fire. The roars turned into whimpers and Auria struggled to her feet, trying to wave off assassin.

“No-“ Auria tried, clearing her throat to speak louder, “No! Stop!” She called out and Bucky hesitated but then his eyes flickered over to her as she moved to her feet, swaying and waving off Stark’s help as he reached to steady her.

“Thank you,” Auria told him, for stopping and for saving her but then she turned on the curled up mass of her attacker, watching as he stretched himself back to his feet, his side already healing from the bullet wounds.

“You’re the alpha aren’t you?” Auria asked wearily, far too tired and not just from the fight but from her life. She didn’t want to ask this child forced into being a weapon but he nodded, baring his teeth in a challenge that she had to answer or else the fight wouldn’t stop.

“That’s why you wanted me. Call them off and you can try. If I win your mine,” Auria told him knowing full well the absolute need that would wash through him. Proving dominance was as much a part of his dna as his strength, and he would be unable to refuse. One of the flaws of the Elite. She watched him freeze, nostrils flaring like a scared animal scenting the wind as he tried to fight off his instincts with reason. Then his eyes lit up in bloody glee, and he rose with a roar that quieted the fight around them.

“CHALLENGE!”

“What are you doing?” Barnes spat in her ear, and she flinched away from him. She hadn’t realized he had come so close and his furious tone sent chills through her body, urging her to curl away from him and the danger that his tone promised.

“I’m solving this problem, what does it look like?” she spat back, more furious at her reaction to him than anything but he didn’t back away from her anger. He stepped closer, getting in her face and making every personal space alarm in her head go off but she didn’t back down.

“It looks like you are going to get yourself killed. We could have handled it,” he told her, his voice a low rumble and he could feel his breath on her face.

“With deaths and casualties. Hey, if I lose you can pick back up where you left off. But if I win, they’re mine and I will tell them to back down,” Auria told him firmly, lifting her chin defiantly. 

“Let someone else do it, you’re already injured,” Barnes told her quickly, his voice cold and logical but she shook her head making him grit his teeth.

“Can’t do that. They don’t respect you, you’re the enemy, but I’m one of them. I might be a traitor, but I can still be an alpha. Besides, this is what I do,” Auria told him and she saw something on his face flicker as he realized that she wasn’t one of his teammates, was closer to being one of the enemy than she was one of them.

“I’m an Elite, Barnes. I hunt, I track, and I kill. That’s what I was made for.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't read Maximum Ride in forever, also I haven't finished the series, so if you have anything I need to fix or think is wrong just tell me :) Also, tell me if you think this is too slow or boring! I didn't realize how many chapters it was going to take to get where I want everything!


	21. The Challenge

Bucky took a step back. Auria didn't spare another moment to decipher his closed off expression, or the wounded ache in her chest at the way he immediately backed away, but instead turned towards her opponent.

“What’s your name?” Auria found herself asking, the question dragged out of some dark part of her past that she didn’t realize still hurt. She put her knife away, sliding it back into it’s sheathe on her forearm.

“I am GX00530. We do not have names,” he growled at her, rising to his tall height with a kind of defiant dignity that bespoke his hardships if not his age. She eyed the drying blood smeared across his cheek and into his dark hair, cropped painfully short as she could personally remember. The wound from where her knife had dug into his face was already healed but the blood emphasized the gaunt cheeks in his otherwise rounded face that held baleful green eyes. They bore into hers as if he could kill her with only his intent.

“I have a name. I think everyone should,” Auria told him sorrowfully, ignoring the looks the gathered Avengers were giving her. They had straggled in to stand behind her with Tony whenever the fighting had subsided, carefully watching the Erasers capable of standing creep over to hover behind the alpha to watch the challenge. They were not bound by instincts, but by orders.

He was an Elite, in charge of this mission and although she could see their annoyance, none of them doubted that he would win. It seemed as if they were enjoying this minor inconvenience, using the time to lick their wounds and reassess the Avengers they had been fighting.

Looking at the peculiar pair standing in the center of a building circle of observers, even Auria would admit that the odds looked like they leaned in his favor, his hulking bulk a striking contrast to her small form. But appearances were deceiving, and just like Angel, her strength did not express itself openly.

She didn’t have mutations, or gifts like the others. In fact it was astounding how completely not special she was except for the basic changes in DNA of course, but she had come to terms with what they had ‘given’ her. She was the opposite of gifted, she was the reverse. When she tried she could nullify gifts, absorb them and render them useless against her, leaving her with the advantage to put them down. And like the Elite’s strength, her specialty was retrieval.

“Come on then, when you’re ready,” Auria called, moving away from Bucky’s side and circling to stand alone. As soon as she moved, Steve moved into the space where she had been, grabbing onto Bucky and pulling him out of danger.

The Elite didn’t bother to answer. He charged, confident in his ability to end this quickly. Auria dodged at the last minute, grabbing his arm and shoving, using the momentum from his size and speed against him with very little effort on her part. His impressive bulk buckled but he was surprisingly agile, rolling back onto his feet in time to swipe at her with a large hand. She leapt away from him, keeping out of his reach with the fresh experience of his crushing strength running through her veins and keeping her alert. She carefully angled her injured side away from him, carefully refusing to limp or wince as she felt it start to bleed.

She had compared him to a bear before because of his size, but now he reminded her of a bull, massive and dangerous and very quick as he charged again, muscles rippling with enough force to rip her apart. And like matador she knew that if he pinned her down she was done for. So she danced around him, her blood singing in her ears as she narrowly evaded his grasp and laid a punch into his face with a sickening crunch that only threw him off balance for moment before he was snapping around to find her with a mad snarl. He ignored the blood cascading from his broken nose as if he didn’t even feel it.

He responded quickly, swinging in the air with a massive fist where her head had just been, so close she felt the rush of air on her cheek as she backed out of reach. Once again she ducked in under his swing and hit him in the ribs, knocking him to his knees from the force of the blow.  

Her world narrowed down to her opponent, watching the telltale flicker of eyes or tense of muscles that warned her of his next move. She leapt away once again as he rose with a roar, expending all of his strength in trying to catch her. She laid into him, carefully dealing a blow before letting him follow once more, and she knew immediately when he started to slow, and then he was panting. She saw the sense in his eyes slip as he furiously tore after her, wrathfully reaching for her and losing it whenever she moved out of reach again.

Confidence building, she kept careful control of her breath, letting him come to her once more before she twisted away from his fist and kicked out hard enough to deliver a blow to the back of his legs that sent him back to his knees. He roared in anger, and she felt a thrill of triumph whenever he lost control, basically handing her the victory. She heard the whispering around them as she stepped away, as the spectators started to realize for the first time that she wasn’t only a real threat, but was possibly _winning_

She knew what to do to cause pain without permanent damage, and now all it would take would be to attack hard enough that he would stay down, to finally make her strike and get her hands on his skin, but then he started laughing. The tenor sound was too pained to be maniacal, but there was no sanity in the hysterical sound.

It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, shivers shaking her skin as if to get the sound away from her before it could seep in and take root in her soul.

“They said you’d never last, and you know why? Because you’re a coward. Always running away,” He told her and although she felt the words like a psychical punch to the gut, she let the insult roll off of her, setting it aside to where she could brood over it later. Right now she didn’t have the time. She ignored the jab, focusing on the mission as she leapt skyward, only now using flight to her advantage. She was tiring him, but now she would strike.

“They said you were broken. You were supposed to be flawless, but here you are, fixated on protecting people that don’t care about you.”

This time she felt the words sink their hooks in, tearing at something vulnerable deep within her and leaving her exposed like a raw nerve. She snarled, pressing her wings down with enough force to send her rushing towards him, feet first to kick his chest with enough force to kill a normal man. He merely kneeled into the blow with a grunt, eyes glinting at goading her into an attack.

She kicked off, bunching her muscles as she went flying backwards, but her wings snapped open to catch her in midair. Her fist swung, hitting him hard enough that she heard his jaw crack, and then he was stumbling.

This wasn’t part of her plan, but she couldn’t stop herself as she used her wings once more to gain height and follow up with a twist and a kick to the ribs using the strength from her wings. He staggered away as she rose into the air, flying away to clear her mind from the rage that urged her to keep going, to break her careful control that kept her from just snapping his neck, but as she circled back he lunged with startling speed, wrapping a large hand around her ankle and slamming her into the pavement.

She screamed in surprise and pain, her wings flailing to catch some air but he just grunted and heaved once more, dragging her back to the ground. She scrabbled to get away from him but he easily yanked her towards him, sliding her across the pavement with enough force that she felt it scrape her skin raw.

Auria grasped at whatever she could, struggling to keep out of the reach of his impossibly strong hands, and she felt her nails crack but there was no stopping him as he flipped her over and punched her as hard as he could in her side, exactly where not a day before an Eraser had dug in his claws. Her back arched in agony, wings spasming in under her where they were painfully sprawled in under her body.

Her scream of anguish was cut off by her lunch heaving up her throat, and she desperately turned to the side so she wouldn’t choke on her own vomit. She frantically clasped her hand to her side, feeling the blood seeping through her bandages and over her hand, leaving it wet.

She caught sight of not only Barnes, but Rogers as well as they charged across the clearing towards her and she held up her hand to stop them, catching sight of it stained scarlet in front of their horrified faces. She was gratified to see Rogers stop, reaching out to throw his arm in front of Bucky’s chest, forcing him to halt as well. Before Bucky could rip his arm off, Auria managed to croak out, “You can’t, we’ll lose them.”

Steve frowned in indecision, watching her determined face as she settled her blood soaked hand onto the hilt of her knife, but Bucky’s arctic stare didn’t waver from her face, her words not managing to deter his decision in the least. She must look like crap if he thought she needed saving, she certainly felt like it, but she didn’t have time to spare worrying about him, only a moment flickering of desperate hope that his respect for Steve would keep him back, and then she was twisting into the alphas hold, wrapping her leg around his waist and letting the feral animal inside her loose. She felt her hold snap with a rush of rage, as she surged closer to him instead of farther away, and as she brought her face closer he must have seen it as well because his eyes widened in horror swiftly changing from confident to terrified.

It was too late for regret as she buried her knife into his shoulder with a bloodthirsty grin, and she felt his arm holding her down go limp, but she felt a distant curiosity as to what kind of monster she looked like. She used her leg to flip them over, shoving the knife farther in as she slammed his back into the ground. Taken by surprise and pain it was almost too easy to overpower him. She felt light headed from blood loss and with that same cold distance to her emotions she realized that she was going to lose consciousness if she did not end this now.

Her wings arched above her, feathers spreading as she loomed over him but then she released her hold on the knife, pressing the flat of her hands onto his cheeks. Then she pulled, not with her body but within something deep within her chest, and she felt the rush of pain that meant she was tugging his strength from his body. She grit her teeth against the sensation, unwilling to whimper but then it was over and he was just an average man lying beneath her, beaten and unable to fight back against her now.

He stared up at her in torment as he felt his strength leave him, and she could see the dull flicker of surprise that she didn’t kill him in his green gaze before it faded into the misery that was losing. His nose was broken, the bruising spreading in under his eyes, and blood was smeared across his face, old mingling with the new of a split lip and yet she knew it wasn’t psychical pain that caused the look in his eyes. No, he was used to that. This was the deep suffering of having been defeated, an alpha that was not the best was nothing. Her rage slipped away as she stared down into his face, her scarlet hand and ragged cracked nails against his battered face a heart wrenching sight as she realized even now the School was winning. She was still hurting people because of them.

“Your strength will come back,” Auria promised, and she saw the flicker of relief that broke through his haze of despair.

“You won,” he told her thickly, throat working as if he choked on the words and she considered him for a moment more before standing, offering him her clean hand.

“Have you ever heard about Hercules? Greek or Roman myth, I’m not too sure. Anyway, he was known for being the strongest man alive, and all of the good things he did with it,” Auria told him and he watched her warily, his hand swallowing hers as he took it and let her pull him to his feet. Once standing he towered over her, and yet it looked like he wanted to disappear into himself, body hunching as he somehow managed to look at her from in under his lashes.

“I think it would be a great name if you wanted it,” Auria told him and she saw his head lift up in surprise, eyes darting back to where the gathered Erasers watched them in disbelief.

“They won’t let me have a name,” he told her in under his breath and she lifted her hand to rest on his shoulder, wincing as she stretched her side. He flinched at the touch, and she felt her heart break for the man-child that had just tried to kill her.

“They don’t have to know. Or, you don’t have to go back, these guys,” Auria told him, gesturing toward the Avengers now watching her in shock, before finishing, “well, they’re supposedly the good guys. From what I’ve seen, I think they really are.”

“They’d find me. I can’t, they’d find me and take me back and it would be so much worse,” he told her, ducking his head and she made herself remain by his side as he clenched his fists. She knew that his strength was still gone, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t able to hurt her without it. Instead he relaxed, drooping until he started to kneel at her feet, and she jumped at the motion. She looked down at his dark head, gently touching it before turning to face the gathered Erasers now watching them for any signs of weakness. She straightened, looking each of them in the face. Some of them watched her warily, or ravenously, and a few she couldn’t tell what they were feeling at all, but all of them met her eyes, defiantly waiting for what she would do next.

“I have won, he is at my feet, and I order you to stand down,” Auria told the gathered Erasers, the hair on the back of her neck standing up as an unearthly growl started around her, enough joining that it seemed like she was surrounded by the creatures.

“Enough!” Auria yelled, wings snapping open and making a few closer to her flinch, and shocking them into silence.

“You are not bound to me, but he is. He is going to stay where he is, and you are leaderless. And so, I suggest you fall back and you report like the lapdogs you are,” Auria spat, unable to keep the disgust from her voice as an Eraser let his face elongate into dog like jaws. Oh, it was wrong of her to judge them all, but she hated them, every bloodthirsty one of them. She was such a hypocrite.

“Go back to your cages, and tell them that you have lost, or else none of you will make the return trip,” Auria warned, voice deepening threateningly and she saw a few glance at each other in reassurance before backing up a few steps, and still they remained. She saw their eyes stray to the Elite at her feet.

“Do any of you want to question my right to this victory?” Auria asked, stepping around the boy, for he was still a boy no matter his size, and standing in front of him.

“Do you want to challenge?” Auria dared them, spreading her wings to remind them who they were dealing with but inside she was dreading that someone would. She was barely on her feet, the blood from her side now trickling down her leg and leaving her lightheaded. And yet she felt her blood start to sing once more at the thought of a fight.

“Don’t worry, we’ll tell them all about what happened, Auria,” someone called from her left and she tensed, head whipping around to fall on a woman. Her black hair was cropped short as well, but it had been some time since it had been cut and so it was growing in something of a pixie cut around her feminine face, the attractiveness of her features abruptly gone when you looked into her empty hazel eyes. Auria felt a shiver down her spine as she looked into her familiar face, and heard her new name on her mocking lips.

“I know you will,” Auria agreed, forcing herself to sound confident of her actions instead of terrified at the thought and with those parting words the Erasers fell back, following the woman as they faded down back alleys and quickly disappeared.

“Should we follow them, Cap?” Auria heard Tony ask from behind her but she was too tired to care about his decision. She swayed on her feet reaching down to clasp the Elite’s shoulder, and he looked up at her with his wide green eyes. She could see his age in how easy to read he was, or perhaps that would have always been his personality, for she could see his fear, and distrust, and most surprisingly concern. She tugged on his shirt, motioning him to stand and she saw him reluctantly move out from in under her hand.

“So, what do you think?” Auria asked as he stood and he hesitated, eyes flickering over to where Steve and Tony were heatedly debating in under their breathes. The spies were nowhere to be seen, and although that would normally have disturbed her, Auria was surprised to find it a relief to know that they were off keeping careful watch. Bucky Barnes however was stalking towards her, and Auria was very much _not_ okay with the dangerous ice in his expression.

“Heya, might want to tone down the danger vibes. I’m trying to convince him you’re the good guys,” Auria said instead of a greeting, and although she was trying to give off a casual attitude she felt her wings bristle in discomfort. She actually needed some more reassuring that they were the good guys, not that admission would help her new friend.

“I never claimed to be one of them. What the fuck were you thinking? He just tried to kill you, what the fuck do you think you’re doing right _now_? ” Bucky demanded, and Auria immediately responded by crossing her arms and firmly planting her feet into the ground. Their eyes locked, and Auria refused to back down, even as she felt the tension building. Although he was twice her size psychically, and actually he was probably twice Bucky’s size as well, the Elite stepped away from the former assassin. Auria leaned in front of him, psychically blocking Bucky from getting to him. That only made Bucky’s glare fiercer.

“Bucky!” Steve chided as he came to stand next to his best friend, but he didn’t make any other moves to stop the argument, only waited for his friend to decide what to do next. Auria glared at him as well.

“Look, if you haven’t noticed, I’m bleeding, and gross, and hungry, and I really don’t want to explain myself to you. Oh, wait, I just realized that I don’t have to! Bye!” Auria told them, swinging around to turn her back on them and stride away, but that was when dizziness decided to strike. Luckily her new friend decided to grab her arms before her knees buckled. She felt rather than heard Bucky move towards her at the Elite’s motion, but he seemed to realize what was happening only a moment after, whether from Auria’s limpness or the boy’s terrified expression Auria didn’t know.

“Come on, let’s get you back to the tower,” Steve told her, and she glared as soon she was being supported by a super soldier on each side, taking her arm to lead her away like a delicate victim. She might’ve let them, for the free food if nothing else, except that she caught sight of a pair of wide scared green eyes.

“Let me go, I’m not going anywhere,” Auria told them, yanking out of their hold and ignoring the very angry glares she was getting in return.

“I’m not just leaving him so that they can come back and get him. Do you have any idea what would happen to him? Even if he didn’t mean to, he’s a deserter now,” Auria told them, and if the fierceness in her voice didn’t convince them the visible shudder that wracked the boy’s large frame did. Steve’s eyes softened, expression turning sympathetic as he took in his genuine terror.

“He just fucking tried to fucking kill you,” Bucky growled, and Steve rolled his eyes, running his hand through his hair.

“Well, Buck, hate to bring this up but you did try to kill me once,” Steve gently reminded him and Bucky froze, muscles tensing all over as he realized what Steve had said.

“Low blow asshole,” Bucky spat, looking over them all with something akin to hatred. Steve flinched as Bucky stomped away, muttering about not caring if they were all murdered. Walking past him, Tony moved to companionably slap him on the back, freezing in the track with his hand in the air whenever Bucky turned to glare at him, and Tony actually took a step back, before continuing his walk over to the group.

“Woah, what’s up with, Robocop?” Tony asked them as Steve mournfully stared after his retreating back.

“Go, I’ll talk it out with Tony,” Auria told him and Steve was off like a shot, gratefully squeezing her shoulder before bounding after his upset best friend.

“Oh no, he left me with the decisions, what did you do to them and what is the giant still doing here?” Tony asked her suspiciously, and Auria grinned at him.

“Tony, we’re going to find him a home!”

* * *

Tony’s indecision on the matter was quickly ended by a call to Pepper. After making him hand the phone to Auria, which surprised the younger woman, Pepper had then asked her exactly how dangerous he was, how much danger he was in, and why they should help him. Pretty much the kind of logical questions that Auria expected until the woman requested to speak with him herself.

“My name?” He had asked in surprise, eyes flickering to Auria before he answered with a small smile, “I think I’m going to be Hercules.”

Afterward it had only been moments before Pepper had told Tony that they were indeed going to help this boy, she didn’t care how big he was, Tony she knew what she heard, and that they were going to do it spectacularly. It didn’t take long for a car to find them, ready to chauffeur them all back to the Avengers tower. Pepper would be home as soon as possible to get him settled in until they could figure out more permanent arrangements.

Not surprisingly, Hercules was tense the entire ride, and if Auria wasn’t struggling to stay conscious then she would have had a whole lot more sympathy for the poor guy. He was probably going into shock, his whole life was changing, he was putting his life on the line, and Tony Stark would not quite pestering him, but as it was, Auria let Stark handle the situation as long as he didn't insult the boy too much. Auria felt herself drifting off, guiltily remembering Bucky’s expression and then retreating back as he stalked off. He was just being stupid.

“Auria? Auria?” Tony asked, voice dropping in concern and she blearily blinked her eyes open at the sound, realizing he had been repeating her name for some time.

“Hmm? Sorry, ‘m just tired,” Auria told him, focusing on his worried face peering into the car. Only then did she realize that they had made it to the tower and that the others had already gotten out and were waiting for her.

“Hey, we need to get you checked out,” Tony told her and she shook her head, a little too violently if the immediate pounding told her anything, although that could be from her run in with the pavement earlier.

“You look like you were run over by a truck, and then backed over by a bigger truck, before being roughed up by a gang of vigilante feminist strippers. Believe me, they’re real, and they’re as vicious as they sound. You’re new friend needs a checkup as well, so don’t chicken out and be a bad example,” Tony told her, in turns humoring and bullying her until she sighed in defeat and let him lead her over to the elevator.

She unconsciously brushed against Hercules as they walked, stretching her wings to gently remind him that she was there and that he was okay. He seemed to take his cues from her, following obediently as long as she wasn’t objecting but he couldn’t relax as he was surrounded by strangers and thick steel.

“I hate elevators,” Auria murmured, not sure if it was too herself, a complaint to Tony, or a reassurance to Hercules, but her eyes fluttered shut on their own accord as she leaned against the wall. She was far too tired to maintain a level of panic that this situation demanded and so instead she felt herself drift off, in the kind of half rest that left her aware of the movements of those around her.

As soon as the elevator opened so did her eyes, taking in the floor they were on and the man waiting on them. Dr. Banner hovered outside the door, nervously looking over their new acquaintance but Auria was relieved to find that he was not wearing his lab coat. In fact, they weren’t on the floor with the labs either, and they were instead on the floor the Avengers had gathered on earlier. She hummed her approval before taking the lead and guiding Hercules into the living area, nodding at Dr. Banner on her way past him.

“Are you giving us the checkup, Banner?” Auria asked, dropping the title in the hopes that it would bother Hercules less, but she had to admit that she was quite nervous herself.

“I’m not really that kind of doctor, I have a doctorate in nuclear physics, but I know the basics of course, and it seemed like I’d be the safest if,” Banner told them, hesitating as for one of the first times it wasn’t him people were being worried about losing control. He nodded to Hercules, whose green eyes were focused on the man as if he was one of the scariest things he had ever seen. It unsettled Bruce, who was used to being looked at that way because of the Hulk, and not because of who he was as Bruce but here they were, both of them watching him as if he would start maniacally laughing while pulling on his lab coat.

“Okay,” Auria said simply, unsure if she knew what she was doing, but when she looked over at Hercules he was absolutely terrified. She stepped forward, pushing away her nerves to at least seem confident to the boy now watching her like she knew everything. It was actually unsettling, but she knew what it meant to beat him. It psychically meant that she was better than him, trained into them from birth or whatever the hell you called what they did to them. If you lost, you weren’t good enough, you were weak, and you obeyed. So here she was, the one who ripped away whatever certainty he had in life, and yet she was the only thing he could be certain of anymore. It was almost painfully ironic that she was the basis for what he thought was okay now, when she didn't even know herself.

Bruce had laid out a medical kit on the coffee table where earlier they had eaten, and Tony strolled over to the bar, popping his neck as he poured himself a drink. His casual attitude, and the way he seemed to completely ignore Hercules seemed to put the boy at ease even though Auria noticed Tony always kept him at the edge of his vision, and the bracelets that could call his suit were visible on his wrists. Auria moved into the room, walking beside Bruce with Hercules following a step behind and as Auria looked over the medical gear she fought back her nausea at the sight of needles.

Auria peeled her borrowed t-shirt off of the wound, gritting her teeth as the blood sucked it into the wound and then a fresh wave of pain assaulted her as she rolled it up in under breasts. She perched on the arm of the couch, waving to Hercules that he could sit down but he moved to place his back to the wall, where he could observe what was happening and the entrances as well.

“What happened?” Bruce asked with wide eyes, moving to stop the bleeding with gauze as soon as he caught sight of the wound. Auria looked over at Hercules, who was now staring at her side, before shrugging, accidently jostling Bruce as he worked.

“Sorry, um, Herc over there got me good. Seriously, he was quicker than I thought he could move for a guy his size. Almost had me there at the end,” Auria told him, and she felt Bruce freeze, tensing as he looked over at Hercules hovering at the edge of the room. Auria quickly pat Bruce on the shoulder, trying to reassure him that everything was alright, but it was with the hand currently covered in dry blood and when he caught sight of it Bruce cursed, with surprising force for a man that Auria had never seen raise his voice, although to be reasonable she had only known him for a day or two.

Tony’s eyebrows shot up as he turned at the noise, catching sight of the blood soaked gauze that Bruce threw down before grabbing a clean square and pressing that against her side. Tony strolled over with his newly poured drink and handed it to the girl, who took it in surprise.

“Looks like you need it more than me, kid,” Tony told her and she felt herself gratefully smile before throwing it back all at once, almost choking on the burn. It felt smooth going down her throat, distracting her from the needle Bruce was suddenly threading but not for long.

“Hey! Bucky said I didn’t need stitched up!” Auria yelped in surprise, and Bruce’s eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

“Well, maybe you didn’t before, but you do now,” he told her firmly and she kept herself from sighing by gritting her teeth. She kept the moans of pain back the same way, and by the time Bruce was done pulling the metal through her skin her jaw hurt so bad she felt like her teeth were going to fall out. The smell of disinfectant was enough to make her skin crawl, and if Hercules wasn’t there watching her every reaction she would have ran away and denied the help, but as it was she just took a deep breath and clenched her hands.

“Okay, all done, let’s get this bandaged up,” Bruce told her soothingly, his voice soft and kind in the same manner that she heard before and Auria wondered if he enjoyed being part of the Avengers when he seemed to be such a gentle soul. The door opening interrupted her musings however and she looked over to find Steve and Bucky entering in a much improved mood. That was until he caught sight of Auria on the couch, still bloody and being stitched up as Tony moved to pour her a second drink. Hercules moved in the corner, reflexively moving to stand closer to Auria at his hostile appearance and his expression sharpened, turning aggressive.

“I got them back, no thanks to you two. And where are Clint and Natasha? Last time we left them two on their own, we ended up having to make a formal apology to the governor of Pennsylvania, and they never even left New York. We can’t trust them alone together,” Tony told them as they entered, seemingly choosing to ignore the tension they brought with them and Auria gratefully took the second drink and threw it back as Bucky pointedly stared at the side of her face. She refused to look at him.

“Alright, Brucie, what are we doin now?” Auria asked a little too loudly, squinting as she realized what she called him and then she peered suspiciously at the shot glass she was still holding.

“What is this?” Auria asked the room, waving it precariously in Tony’s direction. He easily snatched it out of her hands and laid it on the table, his smile growing as he realized her swaying might be because of tipsiness instead of blood loss.

“Whisky, I thought you knew,” Tony answered her, and really she had drank it like a pro but she whistled in surprise, tilting her head back as Bruce watched her in alarm.

“I was just going to suggest disinfecting all of your scratches, but that seems to be it,” Bruce told her and she nodded, slipping off the arm of the couch. She landed lightly, easily walking around the doctor.

“Thank you, Dr. Banner, sir,” Auria told him sincerely, moving to offer her hand to Hercules. He stared down at it apprehensively.

“Come on, I have to set your nose at least,” Auria told him and his gaze darted around the room before he shuffled forward and took her hand. It shook within her own but she gave it a gentle squeeze, pressing on his shoulder to get him to sit on the chair closest to him. No one was behind him, and he was able to watch them all like before, and so he settled down without a complaint, bringing his head slightly below hers.

“There we go. Couldn’t reach you. Now, I am going to straighten your nose, and it is going to hurt, okay?” Auria told him and he nodded, peering up at her worriedly.

“They had to reset bones before. Sometimes they would re-break them, and you couldn’t make a sound or you were disciplined,” Hercules told her and she sighed, nodding at the comparison.

“You can make any sounds you want. I just didn’t want you to punch me in the face,” Auria told him and he froze, hands clenching in his lap.

“Dammit,” Auria muttered realizing she had triggered something she hadn’t meant to.

“Okay, you know what?” Auria asked, kneeling before him so that he had to look down in her face. She heard someone shuffle behind her, worried about her being so defenseless against the person that was her enemy not hours ago but that was the point she was trying to make. He watched her in shock as she gave up her superior position.

“I don’t want to hurt anymore, I don’t want you to hurt anyone anymore, and I don’t want you to go back to them. But that’s the point, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter what I want. Because from now on you are going to make your own choices, Hercules. You are incredibly strong, and you are going to have to choose what you are going to do with that,” Auria told him earnestly, and she felt the moment his resistance broke and he realized that she was serious, that she wasn’t just trying to use him.

“I don’t know what to do,” he whispered back, and Auria grinned up at him, her expression blinding in its happiness and he blinked in surprise.

“That’s the joy, Herc. You can do absolutely anything,” Auria told him, and she was blaming the alcohol for the sting in her eyes. He tentatively smiled back.

“Okay then, lets fix that nose,” Auria told him, and when she placed her fingers gently on his face and straightened it he didn’t make a sound, but he stared into her eyes the entire time, smiling softly when she winced in sympathy.

“Anything else? How’s your shoulder?” Auria asked remembering the knife she buried there and when he shrugged she pointedly glared until he shrugged the neck of his shirt over to show the wound. It was healing, but much like her side it seemed like it was deep, and would take time. She quickly rose, taking the disinfectant and gauze from Bruce whenever he offered them to her and she gently cleaned to wound, guiltily taking in the way he held his arm so as not to jostle it.

“We’re even,” he told her, evidently reading her face and she smirked, gently flicking him in the forehead. He blinked in surprise but didn’t react badly and so she finished up and took the extra stuff to the trash, trusting the superheroes to be pleasant enough to leave him in their presence out of her sight for at least a minute.

She walked around the island to the sink, glancing over to find Hercules stiffly watching Bucky, whom was actively watching him as well. Steve was leaning on the wall beside his friend, watching him, and Tony was actively ignoring all of them for being idiots, and was instead helping Bruce put away the medical kit.

Auria sighed, wondering what in the world she was doing, before she washed her hands, cleaning the flaking blood off of her skin and digging the dirt out from in under her nails. She splashed the water onto her throat, making a thorough mess but finally getting a relief from the itchy dried blood from Savage’s scratches. She found a paper towel to wipe the rest of it away, gently rubbing the tender skin before she felt someone walk up behind her. She tensed, turning her head to see dark hair and an angry expression. She sighed in relief, turning to lean against the sink and cross her arms to face the annoyed Bucky Barnes.

“What?” Auria asked, not waiting for him to verbally attack her and his icy eyes narrowed. They really were a lovely shade of blue, and would probably be stunning if he every smiled instead of trying to melt her with his fury.

“Don’t be such a child,” Bucky snapped.

“Excuse me?” Auria asked indignantly and she noticed the moment he regretted speaking without thinking about it, because it was the same time she shoved into his personal space and glared into his eyes. His widened in surprise, but then his lips thinned, refusing to back away. That left them inches from each other, and her breath was warm against his face.

“You are the one acting like a spoiled child, James Buchannan Barnes,” Auria told him, and it was the second time she used his full name against him, but she wasn’t finished, “that boy in there needs help, and deserves it much more than I do, and you are throwing a fit because he happened to have landed a punch or two. Well, news flash, you hurt people every time you go out into the field.”

Auria saw the minute flinch at her words and she immediately followed up, trying to remind him that she wasn’t blaming him, “Every one of you do. Your precious Captain America hurts people!”

At that his eyes narrowed but she was so done with him and his mood swings.

“Bucky! That’s what you do! You fight the bad guys, you save the good guys, but sometimes they’re neither. Sometimes their lost somewhere in between because they never got the chance to choose,” Auria told him and at some point her anger had disappeared to leave pleading as she begged him to understand. She so hoped he would understand.

“Did you choose?” Bucky asked her softly, and if she hadn’t been so close she would have missed the heavy words, but she couldn’t have missed the heated look in his eyes. She moved away in surprise, startled to find how close they had gotten.

“What do you mean?” Auria asked, stumbling over the words nervously and this time is was Bucky that attacked at the sign of weakness, stepping closer and making her back into the counter. She slammed into the cabinet, eyes widening as he pressed in far too close and all she could see was his blue blue eyes boring into hers.

“I want to know why I should trust you at all. I don’t know anything about you and yet you want me to believe in you? Just give you a chance?” Bucky asked her gruffly, and when she inhaled sharply she felt his chest against hers.

“Sometimes you just have to, or else you can’t trust anyone and you end up all alone,” Auria told him, aching from experience and at her words his eyes dropped to her lips, for the barest of seconds as if reading the word ‘alone’ there. Her traitorous eyes followed suit, looking at his lips that were only inches away from her own. Auria felt her cheeks heat up, the warmth traveling through her and making her try and press farther away from him to escape the sensation but he was observant and he caught the motion. He stepped away, striding back through the kitchen and out the door without glancing at any of the gaping heroes he left in his wake.

Auria’s blush deepened as she realized they had been watching them, and although Tony’s dark eyes danced with the promise of teasing, Steve’s blue eyes were as shocked as if he had just seen them undressing each other and trying to go at it on the counter top. Bruce quickly turned back to Hercules, whom he had been quietly talking to as Auria was interrogated and at the break of silence Auria stomped back into the living room and threw herself down onto the couch.

She scowled at them all, daring them to say anything but Steve just grinned down at her before causally strolling out. They all knew who he was going to find.  She carefully made herself relax, laying her head on the back of the couch. Auria blamed the whisky. She let herself be soothed by the gentle murmur of Bruce’s voice, and the wonderful silence form Tony. Thank God he didn’t say anything, she would probably murder him.

“So, do we need to have the talk, because although I have years of worldly experience I'll probably have to look up how birds mate.  I’m just not sure if robot and bird sex is legal?”

 


	22. Hercules' Decision

Auria would have followed up on her threat and murdered Anthony Stark if her lunge off of the couch hadn’t made her head swim.  Hercules was on his feet before Auria realized that she was swaying, and he hovered in indecision between coming to help her and escaping from the threat of violence. As it was, Tony threw his hands in the air ‘woahing’ her, and Bruce grabbed her elbow and guided her back to her seat on the couch.

“Shut up, Tony,” Auria muttered, eyes flickering closed. Tony’s smirk was somewhere between, being proud of getting that reaction out of her, and being slightly alarmed that he got _that_ reaction out of her. Either way, it was obvious that he had hit a nerve and he couldn’t help considering all of the glorious possibilities laid out in front of him at this sudden development. Auria liked Bucky, murderous dumpster prince, Barnes.

“Sorry, Herc,” Auria murmured, unaware of Tony’s scheming. She eyed the tensed giant now hovering near the doorway. His green eyes were alert and inspecting each of them for threat assessment. He might be a giant sensitive child, but he was still a dangerous weapon capable of seriously harm, and Auria needed to remember that. She was already too protective of him, and not for the first time Auria cursed this personal flaw. That’s what got her in all of this trouble after all.

The clip of heels set at a fast determined pace that could dominate the world, was their only warning before Pepper Potts strode in, intelligent eyes roving over the stressed group before settling on Tony’s face.

“What did you do, Tony?” Pepper asked and he spluttered at the question, pressing his hand against his chest as if wounded.

“Why do you immediately assume that it was me?” Tony asked, eyes widening innocently. Unimpressed, Pepper pursed her lips and gave him a dry look capable of chastising him and making him feel warm and understood, all at the same time.

“Because I know you?” she asked him tartly, and the billionaire couldn’t help but grin at the confident woman before she turned to Hercules, taking in his bloody clothes and tensed appearance without a trace of surprise.

“Hello, you must be Hercules. I’m Pepper, the one you spoke with on the phone,” Pepper told him kindly, offering him her hand and Auria got to understand firsthand what everyone else was feeling when Pepper had presented it to her. Auria immediately bolted upright, eyes warning Hercules against trying anything as she perched on the edge of couch, prepared to interfere in a moment. The slender woman shot them all a stern disapproving look, arching an eyebrow at Auria in surprise. Auria blushed, slouching down in under the admonishment but she couldn’t help being hyper aware of how small and painfully human Pepper Potts was against Hercules’ bulk.

After carefully staring down at the woman, searching her face for any ulterior motives, Hercules took Peppers small palm in one of his, his large dirty fingers swallowing her pristine hand for barely a moment before he immediately dropped it. Pepper’s eyes softened as he awkwardly shuffled away from her, eyeing the group watching him intensely.

“Tony, I’ve made contact with the Director, and he said that he would gladly help Hercules in any way possible. He was very interested in meeting him, and if possible Auria,” Pepper told Tony and she saw surprise flicker over both Tony’s and Bruce’s faces, before the quite scientist abruptly stood.

“I’ll just leave you too it then, I need to get back to the lab,” Bruce told them, uncomfortably shuffling towards the door to leave before he was interrupted by the missing spies strolling in and blocking the doorway, still dressed in their battle gear. He moved out of the way as Natasha sauntered through the crowd, Auria’s backpack slung over one shoulder. She didn’t seem surprised to see Hercules in the corner, although Clint stopped, blinking up at the massive boy.

“Woah, they brought him home. Are we gonna keep him?” Clint asked, not faltering whenever Hercules straightened, eyes flashing defiantly.

“He’s not a puppy Clint, you don’t get to just keep people,” Natasha told him calmly, dropping Auria’s backpack at her feet and smirking at the gaping girl.

“But I kept you!” Clint protested, and Hercules relaxed at the genuine spark of amusement in the archer’s eyes as he stared at his friend. The red head ignored him in preference of staring at Auria’s blank expression.

“How in the world did you find this?” Auria asked, mind whirling as she tried to figure out how Natasha could even find the brick wall she had stashed it in. She followed her movements backwards, trying to figure out how Natasha had found a way to retrace her movements. There hadn’t been any cameras and Auria had wound around the streets multiple times before stashing her things in a surreptitious place no one would have ever looked. There was no way she had found her trail, she hadn’t _left_ a trail.

“It’s what I do,” Natasha replied before setting down on the couch beside her, and Auria recoiled as the spy stretched herself out before curling up on the cushion, seemingly comfortable as she knocked against the younger woman’s side. Clint bounced over and flopped down on Auria’s other side, causing her to jump again, she didn’t flinch- she didn’t- away from the blonde man. He merely grinned at her, doing his best friendly puppy impression as he too stretched out, invading her space.  Auria’s brain short-circuited as she tried to figure out if she should be panicking, escaping, or accepting. What in the world were they planning to do she wondered, but as Auria sat frozen between them they merely picked back up their conversation, leaving her stunned and off center.

“So, is the muscle man staying? Because I can call the twins to come get him if he needs someone closer to his own age, Sam already flew out this morning so he can’t go with him,” Clint told the room and Auria blinked, trying to read the threat behind the words, but she was coming up empty.

“Calm down, Daddy Hawk, leave the twins alone for at least a day would you? What was your last excuse, something about Pietro’s shoes?” Natasha teased and Clint sniffed indignantly.

“He needed new shoes! He’s a runner, that’s what he does. I was looking out for the team. We don’t want him tripping over his feet because of some raggedy shoes, now do we?” Clint asked the room. Tony snickered, Pepper regarded him fondly, and even Natasha was smiling at the man’s denial. Hercules and Auria shared a bewildered look, completely lost.

“No, we are making other arrangements,” Pepper told him and Clint’s eyes narrowed the slightest bit, even though his friendly smile didn’t slip. It was the first time Auria had seen the calculative spy behind his friendly exterior and she felt a small chill at the expression.

“Which means?” Natasha demanded, and she wasn’t even trying to subtle. Her green eyes were cold, challenging as they met Pepper’s and to both women’s credit neither of them blinked or looked away. Tony gulped at the exchange, looking to Bruce, whose eyebrows were meeting his hairline.

“Natasha, do you really expect that I would be so careless as to put him in danger? I promise, I am trying to do my best by him,” Pepper told the other woman, and the moment broke, Natasha shrugging one shoulder lazily. It would have looked more casual if the woman wasn’t still wearing her tight black suit, her weapons belt strapped across her hips and in easy reach. Around each wrist, bracelets glowed faintly, a warning that she was very very dangerous if you didn’t already know.

“I need to call Max,” Auria announced, realizing that the other girl was probably, well, not worried about her, but certainly annoyed that she hadn’t been contacted by now, “Besides, the Flock needs to be a part of this decision. Call a team meeting or whatever.”

The A.I. announced that she would notify the other Avengers, and Auria frowned at the thought of Bucky coming back before she dismissed it for another time. He didn’t matter right now, nor did the pathetic fluttering in her stomach at the thought that they would have another confrontation. Auria ignored the room full of observers as she tugged her backpack onto the couch, unzipping it and rifling through its contents. She wondered if she would even be able to tell if Natasha had went through it, but considering that the most interesting thing the woman would have found was her intruder alarms that Nudge had made hidden among her underwear, she decided that it didn’t matter. 

Tony sprawled out over half of the loveseat across from them, beckoning Bruce to join him, and after a moment he did, sliding onto the other side and watching as Auria pulled out a cellphone. They all waited as it rang, and Auria pondered how different the two men were, Tony in his band t-shirt and jeans, sprawled haphazardly onto Bruce’s side, and then Bruce who sat at the edge of the cushion with his slacks and button up shirt. His glasses were perched on his nose, sliding forward as he leaned his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands in front of him in concentration, but Tony knocked his leg with his foot, breaking his concentration and making the other man sigh, lips twitching in a smile as he looked as he rolled his eyes fondly.  You never would have known that they were both genius scientists, both part of a team of superheroes that saved the world. Auria had always compared herself to Max, tried to fit into the mold of hero that Max had left behind whenever she had bravely took on the world, but for the first time among this diverse group, Auria was left wondering if she couldn’t still live up to those expectations while being herself.

“Auria?” Max’s voice demanded over the phone and Auria let out a sigh of relief, gaining a few quirked eyebrows that she ignored. She didn’t care if she was being obvious, she was pleased that the other girl was safe.

“It’s me. I’m okay, barely a scratch, and I’m back at the Avenger’s Tower. I’m putting you on speaker because we all need to talk to you but first. How are you guys?” Auria asked, ignoring Bruce’s slightly disappointed expression as he pointedly looked at the side he had just stitched up. Technically it would just be a scratch later, and right now it had been taken care of so she didn’t need him to make her feel guilty. It’s not like Max could do something about it if she told her, so it didn’t matter. Auria avoided his eyes anyway.

“Why are you back there, do you need back up?” Max asked, barking it out like a challenge instead of an offer and Auria pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Maximum, report,” Auria snapped, interrupting the girl and she heard the heavy silence on the other end as loud as the very angry words she knew were going through Max’s mind. It was almost worse, because the silence was a sign of how furious the other girl really was. The Avengers around her seemed to hold their breath, waiting for the girl’s decision to explode or comply.

“I’m fine, sprained wrist. Iggy has a bruised face, that matches Gazzy’s knuckles, and Nudge was scared about leaving you but otherwise unhurt. Angel wasn’t touched, Fang has a few scratches, and everyone has been taking care of,” Max told her and Auria let her head fall back onto the couch in relief, the phone held loosely in her hand.

“And if you ever snap at me like that again, I don’t care where you’re hiding I’m going to come shove that phone somewhere you really don’t want it,” Max threatened and Auria grinned.

“Not exactly hiding, come on by anytime Maximum Ride,” Auria offered, not really considering the fact that the other girl could probably lay her out within seconds in her current condition.

“Do you two always have to bicker?” Natasha asked, ignoring Clint’s grin.

“Well, yeah,” Auria replied lamely, before kicking herself for getting distracted.

“Hey, I made a new friend today. The Avenger’s lovely handler Ms. Potts is making plans for him, but I want to know what you think,” Auria told her, ignoring both the small protests of Pepper being their handler, mainly from Tony and Clint who both _needed_ a handler, and the sharp looks she was getting from Natasha and Pepper.

“Wow, I didn’t think anyone liked you,” Max quipped before hurrying on as if she could feel Natasha’s stern look through the phone, “What do you mean, plans?”

“Have you heard of Inhumans?” Pepper asked, taking charge of the room, and Auria felt everyone start in surprise, throwing her looks that confirmed that this was probably a big secret she was being let in on. Auria felt her breath catch in surprise, not sure if she was actually prepared to handle this.

“Um, what’s your definition of an Inhuman, lady? Because we aren’t exactly normal,” Max asked over the phone and Pepper graciously didn’t call her out on the attitude.

“They are a group of people that have recently discovered that they have, what we would call, powers. My friend is a part of a team that is helping them, and we discussed the eventuality of helping your kind as well,” Pepper told them, and from the calculated looks she was being given this was the first time any of the others had heard of it too, at least the part about helping the so called Hybrids.

“Look, we’ve been offered ‘help’ before, and all that usually came of it was more lies, more manipulation, and then more chains. So, no, thank you,” Max told them cynically, her venom practically dripping from the speaker in Auria’s hand.

“Are you taking that choice away from the others? Because you’re scared you won’t let them choose?” Pepper asked calmly and Auria’s jaw dropped at her audacity, waiting for Max’s reaction.

“Who do you think you are, judging us when you have no idea what we’ve been through?” Max hissed, the reaction Auria had been waiting on, and Auria stood, not quite sure why when Max wasn’t even here to see it.

“Max. Calm,” Auria told her evenly, and Max stopped at the tone of her voice. Auria’s back prickled, feeling far too exposed with both Natasha and Clint behind her, but she forced her exposed wings to stay flat. She didn’t have a jacket to hide behind.

“I’ve got you’re back. No matter what you’re decision, you know that,” Auria assured her, eyes focused on Hercules’ confusion filled ones, “but, you really should hear from Hercules. Hear what he has to say.”

“Fine,” Max agreed after a moment of tense silence, considering Auria’s words,  and then Auria was moving closer to Hercules so that he could speak into the phone.

“Are you really Maximum Ride?” he asked hesitantly, voice that of an overawed boy meeting his idol, but weighed down by being disappointed far too many times.

“I am, not that it means much,” Max told him over the phone but his face lit up, staring at the black screen as if he could see the girl through it.

“You were the one that took down the School, you made them rebuild from the outposts, and you let the others go, everyone knows about you,” Hercules told her passionately, and Auria smiled at him, at seeing the hope in his eyes.

“I had some help. Turns out we didn’t accomplish what we thought we did,” Max said, voice frustrated and Auria squeezed her eyes closed to keep out the flashbacks of Max’s horrified face whenever they had found her. She could still hear her savage scream though, the words raw as they ripped out of the teenager’s throat. _There’s more! We didn’t save them!_

Now, Auria knew how it felt first hand, as she had stood in that abandoned facility and realized that there were even more of them out there. Hercules was standing in front of her though, no longer in a cage and Auria was determined that he was never going to be in one again. Max and her Flock had done so much already, but they didn’t have to do it alone anymore.

“Max, you did more than anyone ever could have expected. You’re only human. Well, with a little extra,” Auria told her, lips curving up in amusement when she heard the other girl snort, evidently surprised out of her dark reminiscing.

“Do you think they’re lying, about wanting to help me?” Hercules asked, and she felt rather than heard someone behind her bursting to object but they were quickly quieted, waiting to hear what Max would say.

“I don’t know. From my experience, everyone lies and we can only depend on our own. But I only met them once. Auria?” Max asked, and Auria was blown away that she had become one of the few that Max actually trusted enough to value their opinion.

Auria hesitated, weighing the risks in her mind as she stared into his far too trusting green eyes. My god, how in the world did he ever survive with his soul intact if that trusting heart had always been in there? Auria looked around, pausing on each face. Pepper, calmly waiting, with a gentle smile. She was poised, standing next to Tony as she waited and not pressuring her.  Tony was now watching her, his alert intelligent eyes at odds with his relaxed position, but he simply read her face without giving her any indication of what to choose. For once he didn’t smirk at her, and his face was stoic. Next to him was Bruce, whose small smile wasn’t supposed to sway her decision but comfort her. His clasped hands betrayed his nerves but otherwise he didn’t give any other indication.

On the couch, Natasha and Clint had found their way to sitting next to each other, her feet tucked in under his thigh as she rest against his arm. They wore identical expressions, carefully closed off and polite, not giving her the smallest clue as to what they were thinking, but as she looked at them, Clint gave her carefree grin, echoed by a smaller smile by Natasha. Behind them stood Bucky and Steve, having come in sometime during Max’s and Hercules’ conversation, and now Auria tilted her chin up to inspect them.

Steve seemed like he was radiating good will, almost unintentionally as he watched her with an open earnest expression. Bucky was the complete opposite, shut down and internalizing whatever he was feeling behind a distant expression ,and Auria frowned at him, trying to figure out what he was thinking. She didn’t have a clue.

“I want to trust them,” Auria said into the phone, eyes on Bucky, and she saw his start of surprise before she looked away, turning back to the group at large. She was greeted by smirks and smiles, and warm eyes all around as if they were pleased with her decision even though she hadn’t really made one.

“I really do. Sometimes you have to make that choice,” Auria told them all, before smirking into the phone, “Hey, it worked out with you didn’t it?”

“Excuse me, I am the one who knocked your butt out after making sure you didn’t bury that scalpel in your throat, and then I made sure Fang didn’t drop you whenever we dragged your skinny butt out of that place before it exploded. I earned those trust points,” Max reminded her and Auria stiffened as everyone’s gaze immediately turned a shade into horrified. Max’s muffled swearing told Auria the moment that she realized that she was still on speaker phone. Auria’s feathers ruffled uncomfortably, the only display that she couldn’t shut down into a calm appearance.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t think-” Max started to apologize before Auria cut her off.

“I know you don’t. That’s why I can still take you and Fang at the same time, while helping Nudge with her fashion decisions,” Auria drawled, changing the subject, and she could practically hear Max’s eyes roll.

“Please. We both know Nudge helps us out,” Max admitted instead of defending her strength and Auria was startled into a real laugh at the confession.

“I’ll give you that,” Auria relented, before turning back to Hercules, who by now was trying to figure out if he should slink away or not.

“So, Herc, what do you think?” Auria asked and he froze in indecision. It was probably the first time someone had given him a chance to have an opinion, much less decide.  

“I could go with Pepper and her friend, or what? I don’t see very many options,” Hercules told her and Auria stilled, eyeing him.

“I could get you set up somewhere far from here, but we both know it doesn’t matter how much money we throw at it or how far away we go, there’s always a chance they’ll find you. That’s why the Flock is always on the move. It’s a choice, it sucks, but its freedom,” Auria found herself promising her aid, already trying to figure out whose bank account Nudge hadn’t visited recently and how she was going to traverse the country with her side in bandages.

She was sure he could run for miles, endurance training an aching memory of her own past, and if they made it out of the city then the country would be no problem to navigate. Feeding both of their appetites might be hard, but she had survived on less before.  Dr. Handell and his very real threat buzzed inside her head, but she pushed it aside. She would be back to face him, but this was her responsibility. If Hercules needed her than she would do whatever she needed to.

“Is that what you chose to do?” Hercules asked her and she felt herself grimace.

“Sort of,” Auria admitted, all too aware of their audience ready to judge her lifestyle choice.

“It’s easier to travel from place to place in the sky. You can cross borders that would be harder on foot, you can travel faster. In your case it would be harder to move around, but not impossible. You’ve had the training to figure out how to get your own sustenance, but it’s harder when you can’t draw attention to yourself and you have to blend in. You’ll spend many days hungry until we can teach you credit card fraud. Even then, you’ll always be looking over your shoulder, looking out for the next pretty face, or soulless eyes that could be someone from Itexicon. Discovery is always a real possibility so you decide pretty quickly if fighting is worth it when they come. You do not want to go back,” Auria told him, ruthlessly laying the truth out in front of him with all of its ugly consequences.

“Why would you ever choose that?” he asked, and she felt everyone waiting for her answer, the phone in her hand quiet as well as Max listened and respectfully gave her space to give her opinion.

“Because it’s better than the other option I had, the life that you just left. It’s better to be hungry because you were scared of detection than because you’re being punished or you’re waiting in terror for an operation. It’s better to fly place to place, absolutely anywhere you choose to go, rather than feeling that chain around your neck or the bars in front of your face. It’s better to be scared that they are coming for you than to be in their grasp and knowing that any mistake, any emotion that is not allowed is going to earn you another visit, another training session.  Between those two options, I made the best one, and you did too, just now,” Auria told him, everything else fading except for the scared child in front of her, trapped inside of his terrifying body and a past of tragedy. He needed the truth from her, needed her to step up and quit being afraid and so she looked him into the eyes and she was completely honest for the first time in her life.

 “But now, you are being offered something else, and I don’t know what it is, or what it will be like. You might be walking into the exact same situation you left, or you might find a better way to live, a way to make an actual life. You could do that for all of the others that come after you, once we end this.  This is the risks that you have to choose out of Hercules. You have to choose what to do with your strength, and what kind of memory you will leave behind. What do you think?” Auria asked him, waiting for his decision with bated breath and her heart pounding so hard in her chest that she could taste the fear.

“I’ll go. I’ll go with them, and I will call you, and I will tell you of this new way of life so that the next time you save someone, there is someplace waiting for them. Maybe for you too,” Hercules told her, determination in his face and voice, and filling him so that for once when he straightened his entire frame and lifted his head it was not scary, but awe inspiring to see him tower above her. She smiled up at him, catching his heartfelt expression and sending it back to him with one of her own.

“Okay, then the decision has been made. I’m looking forward to meeting you some day, Hercules,” Max told him respectfully and his eye lit up in pride.

“I can’t wait for that day Maximum Ride,” Hercules told her, the name on his tongue heavy with respect and admiration and Auria smirked.

“I can’t either, Hercules could take you within seconds,” Auria taunted, and she felt the mood lighten with an almost audible snap.

“Shut up big talker, next time I visit we’re settling this. See you around,” Max promised, and Auria answered with the affirmative before hanging up, going to slide her phone in her pocket before she remembered the stupid pants she was wearing.

“Seriously, you couldn’t put some pockets on these, Stark?” Auria complained, and the billionaire leered, earning him a slap to the back of the head from Pepper.

“Awww, you like us!” Barton crowed, eyes crinkling at the edges as he gave her the most annoying grin ever and opened his arms as if asking for a hug. Her eyes narrowed.

“I think you’re tolerable,” Auria told him stiffly but then he snorted, eyes rolling to find Bucky, who still stood impassively behind the couch. Under his gaze, Bucky crossed his arms, giving him a chilly look that only made the archer’s lip twitch up.

“I think some of us are more tolerable than others than,” Clint told her, waggling his eyebrows.

“She’s a little touchy about that,” Tony tried to warn but it was too late, Auria had already snatched up one of the pillows off of the couch and tossed it at his head, hitting him with enough force that he fell back with a muffled ‘oomph’!   Natasha threw her head back in laughter, her voice beautiful, like everything else she did, until Clint peeled the pillow off of his face and nailed her in the head with it, with a war cry of ‘traitor!’

“Come along, Hercules, I will get you prepared for your journey before the children get out of hand,” Pepper told Hercules primly as Tony leapt from his seat to aid Clint in his attack on Natasha, using the cushion from the back of his love seat to squash her.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Hercules told her deferentially, walking out at her heels and this time it was Bruce that nudged Tony and followed to make sure that Pepper was going to be safe. Tony left off his attack in order to follow, tripping over a strategically placed slender ankle, glaring at the offending assassin it was attached to and jogging off to follow. Auria wondered what his excuse was going to be this time.

She watched after them, concern building in her chest as she considered the worst that could happen, actually reaching the conclusion that Hercules and the Hulk was going to get into a fight and murder everyone before she made herself stop panicking and then Hercules was peeking back in, awkwardly clearing his throat and getting everyone’s attention.

Natasha froze where she was straddling Clint, knees holding down his arms as she full on smothered him, and Steve still had an arm loosely wrapped around her waist from where he was trying to pull her off. Bucky was just leaning against the couch with a smirk, gaze sharpening when he found that Hercules had returned.  

“Auria?” Hercules asked quietly and she immediately bound towards him, panic making her wings beat quickly before she could make herself stop. She knew something was going to go wrong, she thought as she looked over him for injuries, but he looked exactly the same as a few minutes ago except for the sheepish expression on his face

“What’s wrong?” Auria asked, a little breathlessly as she considered what could have happened but then he was ducking his head and running his hand through his hair.

“I just wanted to say goodbye in case I don’t see you again,” Hercules muttered, and Auria stared at him dumfounded.

“I’ll just go...” he said awkwardly, gesturing back the way he came and she jumped, and shouted in surprise.

“No! No, it’s okay,” She told him more calmly, wondering what exactly she was supposed to do. After a moment she uncomfortably opened her arms and stepped forward, letting him move the rest of the way into her hug. She had only thought hers and Barnes’ hug was the most awkward thing in existence, but she was proven wrong when he barely wrapped his right arm around her waist in under her wings and her face was pressed against the bottom of his chest (It was not his stomach, she refused to be that short) Seriously he was huge, and although she squeezed him tight, wishing him the very best and hoping that someday they could do this again when they weren’t so broken and damaged, she had to step away quickly, letting out the breath she had been holding so that she didn’t panic in his hold.

He grinned at her though, obviously not too bothered by her poor social graces and then he was telling her bye before bounding back down the hall to were Pepper, Tony, and Bruce were waiting for him. His long legs ate up the distance and soon they were moving onto the elevator. She lifted her hand to wave goodbye as the doors slid shut, getting a last glimpse of a nervous but hopeful smile before he was gone. She dropped her hands, ruffling her feathers uncomfortably, and repositioning her wings as she tried to decide what she was feeling. Mostly confused.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked in concern, and she turned to find that he had walked up beside her, and was now watching her as if to make sure she wasn’t about to lose it and break down and cry or something else ridiculous like that.

“Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?” Auria asked confrontationally, but Steve only shrugged. Somehow he had found the time to change back into relaxed clothing, and he was wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans. Completely normal, natural. He could have been anyone, if that someone was a well-built male model or something, equipped with baby blues that could look into your soul with their concern.

“Stop it, Steve, I’m fine,” Auria told him and he gave her a small pleased smile. She realized with a start that she had somehow started calling them all by their first names, the distance she had forcefully imposed by calling them by their last name or their title somehow melting away. Annoyed with herself, she scowled at him, and looked past him to find Bucky scowling at her. Oh yeah, don’t be mean to the precious angel that is Steve Rogers.

“You know what? I’m too tired for this, and I threw up my food, so if you would excuse me I’m gonna go brush my teeth and then go to sleep,” Auria snapped at him, immediately feeling guilty because then he was stepping away with a slightly wounded look on his face. She didn’t mean to be so hostile, and her anger slipped when she looked at him. Her mind fluttered around an apology, her lips parting, but his gaze followed where hers had been to find Bucky and then he was smirking. Her mouth shut with an audible snap as she glared at him.

“Shut up, Rogers, not you too,” Auria snarled but he obviously didn’t take her as a threat anymore, because then he was slinging an arm around her shoulder. She actually yelped in surprise, yelped, as he tucked her against his side and for third time in way too short a time, Auria was being hugged by someone. She didn’t like this development at all.

“Don’t worry, I’m all respectable and nice, scout’s honor,” Steve promised her as he lead her away, ignoring her flaming cheeks. She tried not to flinch away from the contact.

“You were never a boy scout, Stevie!” Bucky grumpily yelled after them, and Steve threw up a finger that wasn’t respectable or nice, without turning around. She heard Barnes’ laugh follow them as Steve escorted her back to their rooms, but as soon as they were out of sight Steve was dropping his arm and turning to face her, all signs of lightheartedness gone. His face was serious, blue eyes direct as they stared at her, and she was starkly reminded of the way he looked at her the first time they had fought. Which meant that she might metaphorically, or not so metaphorically, be shaking in her boots. Auria kept her mouth shut, mentally freaking out as he seemed to size her up and then he was speaking, voice low and solemn.

“We’re going to have a talk about Bucky.”


	23. A Dangerous Fight, A Last Resort, and a Painful Confrontation

Auria literally gulped, trying not to panic as she rearranged the image of Captain America she had in her head. He was definitely intense when he wanted to be, and right now he was downright _scary._   Auria leaned away from him, back hitting the wall as she mentally tried to calculate how far she could get if she needed to run—update, not very-- while simultaneously going over what exactly she could have done to make Captain America look at her like _that_.

Although, right now he was very much Steve Rogers, and that was almost worse. Captain America wouldn’t murder a girl in a hallway, he was far too noble for that. Homicide clashed with the stars and stripes. Steve Rogers however, was Bucky Barnes’ best friend from childhood from before Captain America’s existence, and Auria wasn’t really sure what he would do to defend the man that pretty much family.

She knew how far she would go for Max, and their relationship paled in comparison to the bond of the two men out of time. Steve crossed his arms, and she watched the muscles move, considering how strong the super soldier was. She wildly remembered hearing that he had punched a tank so hard he had knocked it out, and she felt the urge to laugh hysterically at the thought, her throat closing up before she could let out the sound. The very serious look on his face warned her not to.

He had neatly cornered her, far enough away from the others that even if she called for help, he could easily snap her neck before anyone arrived. His strength far outweighed her own when pitted against each other like this, and in such close quarters he could easily overpower her. There were no exits, no help, and even her wings were a disadvantage here in the confines of the hall. Steve Rogers had planned this exceptionally well.

“Um,” Auria replied cleverly, hands twitching as she evaluated how many weapons she had on her. Not enough.

“Look, he can make his own decisions, and I know you would never intentionally hurt him, would you?” Steve asked, voice sharp and eyes piercing. She stared at him for a tense moment before realizing with a start that he was actually waiting for an answer. She shook her head slightly, would’ve been enthusiastically if she dared look away from him.

“Good. I want to see the best in people, and I can tell that you could be a really great person, Auria,” Steve told her, so sincere, and Auria felt her heart lift up. If he wasn’t threatening her, she could have soared at the sensation that was his belief in her. Auria wondered if this was how he gathered so many dedicated friends and followers, he simply willed them into being better people, but then his eyes darkened, voice lowering and once again she was conscious of how far away safety was.

“But here’s the thing. He is in a very dangerous place right now, which means that he needs to be surrounded by people that want the best for him. So, anything we do is going to be in his best interest, isn’t it?” Steve asked her, and she nodded, knowing that it wasn’t really a question so much as an order but she mentally seized  the reason for this ‘talk’, eyes narrowing as she took in the very real concern lurking in Steve’s eyes. His best friend, his brother, was very hurt and it terrified him. Enough that he would do absolutely anything to help him.

 Even if that something was make it very clear to a certain winged girl that if she hurt Bucky, in even the slightest way, that there were going to be consequences and he didn’t have a problem with handling it personally. Auria felt herself relaxing, at odds to the sudden realization that Steve was seriously dangerous, but she couldn’t find it within herself to blame him for it when she could understand it. If she stood where he was, she would probably be doing the same thing.

“You know, I have eyes. I can see something’s happened to him,” Auria told him softly and Steve leaned against the wall across from her, studying her face. She wondered what he was searching for, stilling in under the scrutiny, but whatever it was he evidently found it because then he gave a short nod. Steve’s whole body relaxed as he sighed, his shoulders drooping as he ran a hand wearily over his face. She sighed in relief as the aggression poured out of him, but she was left with a twinge of concern at the tired way he tried to hold himself together. He was fraying at the seams, far worse than she could imagine he was hiding behind his easy smile.

“I know. Most people can see it, but it’s not what you think. I mean, of course it is but he hides so much, and it’s up to him, I’m not judging him for it, but people push him too far because they think he can take it. He shouldn’t have to take it,” Steve told her with a near growl, running his hand through his short hair in agitation and Auria nearly gaped as he opened up to her, his blue eyes wide and honest as he worried about his friend. He waited, watching her as she tried to gather her thoughts. She didn’t want to make a hasty reply and disappoint him, or shut him down when he so obviously needed someone to confide in.

“Why are you telling me?” Auria asked carefully, considering his words and wondering why on earth he thought she should know this.

“Because my therapist is out flying and you remind me of him for some reason?” Steve joked, and she rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but smile at the cheeky grin on his face. It slipped off far too soon, his lips tugging down into a weary frown and the skin around his eyes tightening wearily.

“Because of what you said in there. Some of us here, we’ve been through things, but Bucky. It’s unthinkable what happened to him. Even to you,” Steve told her and although her first instinct was to snarl and tell him that he had no idea what she had been through, his understanding eyes made her halt and made her realize that he understood far more than most people gave him credit for. And that made a chill slither up her spine as she tried to consider what exactly happed to James Barnes.

“You want me to talk to him?” Auria asked in confusion, brow furrowing and Steve snorted, rolling his eyes. She lightly kicked his foot in revenge, making him scowl down at her although his eyes danced.   

“Then why?” Auria asked and Steve rubbed the back of his neck, looking up at her beneath his long lashes and giving her a warm feeling that she usually reserved for puppies.

“I might have noticed that you two have an, uh. Connection,” Steve told her, hesitating over what word to use as he tried to be tactful, but then he ruined it by chuckling at her blush. This time she kicked him in the shin. Hard.

“Ow!” Steve exclaimed and it was her turn to laugh as the intimidating man hopped on one leg, whatever fear she had left draining away at his pout.  

“I wasn’t teasing! I just meant that it seems like he might open up to you, and if he does then you are in a very delicate position,” Steve told her seriously, wrinkling his nose as he rubbed at his abused body part.

“Uh huh. Well, that’s not happening, did you not see his face earlier? Or the way he reacted back there with Hercules?” Auria asked, huffily blowing a loose strand of hair out of her face as she crossed her arms.

“That’s why I think he likes you so much,” Steve told her, snickering at her blank look before he continued, “believe me, it means he cares. If he didn’t than he wouldn’t bother being mean, he’d just ignore you.  And you _were_ being kind of careless, Hercules had just finished slamming your face into the dirt and then punched you so hard he was covered in your blood. I think Bucky handled himself pretty well considering you looked like you were about two seconds away from being torn apart. I saw better looking men sent home from combat for being wounded in action, missing body parts and all, and then you were just standing there acting like everything was okay while you bled out.”

“Okay, first of all, that’s just a little bit messed up. Smiling is a nice way to show someone you like them, yelling is not. Second, it was pavement and third, that’s just rude, I was obviously doing fine, it wasn’t that bad,” Auria told him, slightly insulted. She won didn’t she?

“Yeah well, maybe we’re all a little messed up. And I beg to differ, you managed to scare the hell out of Tony, and he’s seen some shit,” Steve told her firmly, and Auria blinked in surprise at his language. She knew he had been in the army, she had looked it up after all, but somehow it was still unnerving to realize that he was a regular guy.

“Fine, I’m a little rusty when it comes to one on one battles to the death. I’ll do better next time, Cap,” Auria promised with a smirk, punching him on the shoulder. She saw the moment of indecision on his face before he smirked in return, turned, and elbowed her in her non-wounded side. She stumbled under the assault, managing to get her shoulder in under his armpit and shoving him into the wall. She snickered as she bounded away, using his surprise to get a head start. She heard him curse before he followed and she let out an unholy shriek as she darted back to comparative safety of the other team mates and hopefully back up, but the sound of his footsteps kept coming closer and closer, easily catching up to her.

She didn’t quite make it, and as she leapt through the doorway Steve was upon her, grabbing a handful of her t-shirt and yanking her to a standstill, and then her had her in a headlock. He barely needed to use any of his strength to hold onto her, and she was frankly insulted at the loose but secure hold as he gently restrained her.

“Surrender!” Steve crowed in victory, and Auria caught sight of panicked faces before they noticed his grin, and her calculative rather than terrified face. Then she flung herself forward, kneeling as she rolled his stunned body over hers, as she was squirmed out of his hold. He hit the carpet with a thud.

“Help!” Auria yelped to the others as she leapt on top of him, and tried to hold him down with her bodyweight. He sat up with a threatening scowl, breaking her hold easily, and then Clint was descending with a roar, armed with the pillow from before. Steve took it to the face with a grunt, Clint sitting basically on his face with a wild laugh, and then Auria was falling away in giggles, unable to take the grown men seriously as Steve wildly grabbed for Clint’s shirt to peel him off.

“I helped you!” Steve roared in betrayal, and Clint cackled evilly.

“Every man for himse-AHH!” Clint screamed, interrupted by Bucky’s metal arm easily plucking the pillow out of his hands before smacking him in the back of the head with it. Bucky took a casual step backwards out of reach as Natasha’s follow up leap and tackle sent them both of them sprawling, Natasha firmly holding Clint down with a predatory smirk.

“Every woman for herself,” Natasha told him as Bucky pulled Steve to his feet, sharing an excited grin before both pair of blue eyes turned at the same time to land on Auria. She leapt over the couch with a shriek, lightly jumping the coffee table before her escape was cut off by a pillow in the back, sending her tumbling face first onto the love seat.

She rolled onto her back, trying to ease the pain in her side and regain her breath in between gales of laughter, and it was only when she felt someone hovering over her did she manage to slide off of the love seat and roll in under the coffee table on her stomach. It was lifted easily, the rush of air as it was flung to the side making her squeal and scramble for different cover but then someone was wrapping their arm around her waist and was easily lifting her off of the ground. The sensation of hard metal against her stomach was enough to tell her who it was and she felt her heart pick up in speed, her skin uncomfortably buzzing.  She felt herself flush, and scowled at her reaction to him when he was doing nothing but holding her, and with limited contact at that as if he was really trying not to touch her or the wings folded on her back. 

“Really, Barnes? I didn’t do anything to you!” Auria exclaimed, shifting in his hold, but his arm didn’t budge as she tugged at it.  She looked up to find Steve approaching, grin wide as his eyes lit up and her eyes widened as she struggled harder. 

“Now, Steve, we all need to remember who started this,” Auria told him calmly, and she both heard and felt Bucky chuckle, the vibrations from his chest making her shiver. She was both super aware of where they barely touched, and discomforted enough by the sensitivity to try and lean away from him. It didn’t seem to matter to him, his grip was impenetrable. Clint and Natasha had somehow found a truce and had ended up propped up on their previous weapons to watch as Bucky and Steve ganged up on Auria, They both cackled at the begging look she sent them. No help was coming from there.  

“You started it,” Steve reminded her and she groaned in reply.

“Yeah, but don’t you want to be the bigger person?” Auria tried instead, and Steve’s smirk let her know, that no, that was not his intention.

“You made me resort to this,” Auria warned him and she saw a flicker of uncertainty in his face before she spread her wings with a snap, the hard bone smacking against Bucky’s arm and loosening his hold enough for her to retract her wings and drop to the ground and roll out of his reach. Her wing would probably ache tomorrow but for now she was winning!

 As soon as she was down she used their moment of surprise against them, swinging her leg and kicking Bucky’s legs out from in under him. She could see his body roll, and she watched the way his body tensed, and he easily could have turned to right himself, or even control the fall into a tumble, but then he relaxed and hit the ground, barely catching himself on his hands and letting himself fall with the least amount of struggle.

Her wings flung out, cupping the air as she leapt onto his back, knees digging into the hard muscle. She immediately knew that this wasn’t going to work out any better than her hold on Steve had when Bucky shoved off of the ground, easily lifting her for a moment before he tried and failed to get his feet in under him. She slid in surprise, side painfully stretching and wings fluttering to help her balance. She saw his head move to watch them in surprise, giving her enough time to wrap her legs around him and switch from the plan to restrain him, to her last resort, something the Flock had taught her.

It was time to find out if Bucky Barnes was ticklish.

She skimmed her hands over his sides before digging her fingers into his ribs, traveling up in under his arms. He tried to buck her off in surprise, arching with a snort but then he was laughing, wiggling in under her as she tickled him. The sound was rough, pulling out of his chest against his own volition. It sounded painful, like old gears grinding against one another in a rusted machine, groaning as it was finally turned on after decades of being abandoned, but soon the sound was smoothing, his laughter lightening until Auria was grinning savagely. She had him.

“Surrender, or I won’t stop!” Auria yelled to Steve, glancing up to find an expression of stunned happiness on his face as he listened to Bucky’s laugh, but then it was her turn to shriek as Bucky somehow _turned_ , impossibly twisting in under her so that when he grabbed her arms and swung her to the floor, easily straddling her and then he was grinning down at her.

It was a dangerous expression, promising retaliation but his eyes were light, still bright with laughter that lit up his face from within. It was like he was a decorated lantern that she had been admiring before it was lit, the warm glow bathing her in welcoming light and completely destroying whatever thought she had of its artificial beauty and replacing it with something genuine. It was like the years had melted away from him, at least for the moment and it would have taken her breath away if he hadn’t knocked it out of her. She stared up at him, memorizing this new expression, this exhilarated happiness framed by dark hair that made her heart hurt. If there was any good out there in the universe than Bucky Barnes would always be smiling.

She realized in horror that she had been staring up at him, letting her emotions flicker across her face without even trying to restrain them. She felt the blood rush to her face, heating it uncomfortably and letting her know that she was a condemning shade of red, that didn’t improve in the least when she felt herself bathing in the heat of his body, so close to her that she almost dared to move closer. Although she should feel afraid, in fact terrified at this helpless position, it wasn’t the helplessness that made her stomach whirl in alarm.

“Before you do anything that you’ll regret, I should remind you that I have no control over my flailing limbs when under attack. Do you really want a bruised face? I don’t think so, it’s such a nice face,” Auria told him, babbling and digging herself into a deeper hole as she tried to talk herself out of this new situation, although the persuasion hadn’t really worked for her last time.

“I think it’s worth it,” Bucky told her before getting even. She clenched her jaw the moment his fingers found her body, unwilling to let the laughter pass her teeth and let him win, but his eyes gleamed at the challenge before he started searching for where she was really ticklish, fingers finding her sides. Soon she was snorting, letting out a guffaw before once again she was uncontrollably laughing, all worries about him being too close quickly replaced with needing him to stop this torture! She tried to squirm away from him, but he easily held her down by sitting on her, and then all she could do was try to bat his hands away. He caught her hands with a smirk, snickering at the way she started to uncontrollably snort.

“Woah, that progressed quickly, I didn’t have time to do any research but it looks like you crazy kids figured it out,” Auria heard Tony say as he reentered the room, and she immediately reacted, arching up and shoving Bucky with the strength of her alarm. He went easily, immediately releasing her at the sudden change, and Auria blushed as she found herself the center of attention, Tony smirking at her as Bruce curiously peered from behind him. Clint gave a wolf whistle.

Steve glared at Tony, making the other man squint at him in confusion but Steve only clinched his jaw, eyebrows furrowing as he watched Bucky, and that was when Auria guiltily realized he had gone still. She smacked him with an abandoned pillow, catching him off guard, and as Bucky blinked at her in surprise, processing whether or not he should respond, she gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. He hadn’t done anything wrong, Tony had just surprised her was all. She looked away embarrassed, quickly composing herself into at least an act of nonchalance. Auria stood with a lazy stretch, nudging Bucky in the ribs with one of her feet.

“You’re a cheater,” Auria told him with a sniff, ignoring his offended expression before she turned on Steve, pointing at him.

“So are you, for shame Steve Rogers. I’m going to tell everyone Captain America had to have back up for little old me,” Auria told him with an exaggerated flutter of her eyelashes, making Clint snigger and Steve roll his eyes.

“Are you bleeding?” Bruce snapped at her, the irritated sound making Auria jump as the mild mannered man glared at her. She sheepishly peered at her side, slightly lifting her shirt to see that she had indeed caused her wound to start bleeding again. He shouldn’t have been able to tell against the black fabric but as she had stretched he had caught sight of a couple of red droplets seeping through the white bandage.

“Um, no?” Auria tried and Bruce rolled his eyes heavenward.

“Oh, she said no. Her sweat must just be red then,” Bruce muttered and Auria smiled at him contritely, amused at his sarcasm.

“Auria, I’m sorry,” Steve started and she glared, peaking at Bucky. He was staring at her side, frowning and clenching his hands.   

“Please, if I was in any pain I would have told you. The day I can’t bleed a little bit is the day I’m dead, so quit acting all guilty. I can take care of myself,” Auria told him sternly.

“Obviously,” she heard Bruce mutter and she glared at him too before nudging Bucky once more. He had retreated to expressionless, which was probably not good.  His eyes flicked up to meet hers before looking over her shoulder, avoiding eye contact, and she frowned.

“Hey, I mean it. If any of you start treating me like I can’t make my own decisions, I’m out of here,” Auria warned them, and she was relieved to see Bucky’s eyebrows rise and he gave her an unimpressed look. Even if it was a bitch face, at least it was an expression.

“Running away the moment something gets hard, sounds like something a child would do,” Bucky murmured as if he was only thinking out loud, but his eyes flashed in her direction. Auria practically heard her teeth grind together as she bit back her hateful words. She wondered if she shouted at him if he would only take it as another sign of being childish, before she turned and strode away, snagging her backpack off of the couch and gently nudging Steve in apology before she left. She glared at Tony on the way out.

 

* * *

 

 

"Captain Rogers made it clear that you could use anything that you need,” Friday informed her as the door to Steve’s, and a certain annoying man she wasn’t going to think about any more’s, floor. Auria paused, glaring at everything in general but then she straightened her back and continued on, striding past the familiar living room section without glancing at the chair now stained with her blood.

 It wasn’t like she had anywhere else to go. She had realized that on her angry storm down the halls that her first instinct had been to return to Steve and Bucky’s rooms, but she didn’t want to go anywhere that _he_ would probably show up.

Unfortunately, her tentative question to the A.I. as to where she should go had been garnered the simple response that Steve Rogers had personally asked for Auria to be allowed onto his floor if she so wished. Since she didn’t really have access anywhere else that she could go to sleep, Auria had sucked it up and went in search of somewhere to lie down. At this point, anger was the only thing keeping her on her feet, the long ago adrenaline rush, whiskey, and then excitement, having dulled down how tired she actually was. Now that she was no longer scared, drunk, or happy, her head had started to ache and her limbs had grown heavy.

Even her anger had to be set aside for now, to be picked up once she had rested and regained her strength. Auria stumbled to the bathroom, blindly digging around in her backpack for her toothbrush before vigorously brushing her teeth to remove the foul taste from her mouth, but that slowed quickly, leaving her blinking at her reflection as she scraped her tongue until she felt the urge to throw up. That would be counterproductive, Auria mused as she gargled water, spitting it out before doing it again. Only once she could run her tongue over every surface in her mouth and taste nothing but mint toothpaste did she sat the brush down. She stared at the blank face in the mirror, considering whether or not she should even be here.

“So, what’s your plan?” Auria asked the reflection, too tired to be embarrassed about talking to herself. She had done worse before, and now she desperately needed to talk about why on earth was acting like an idiot and losing control around these strangers. She tugged her borrowed shirt off, hatefully kicking it away before grabbing a red rag, definitely not a white one, to give a quick scrub to her dirty body. She eyed the gross piece of clothing as she washed, setting down her rag with a sigh and picking it back up. She folded it neatly and sat it on the edge of the sink with her rag.

“I’m going to take down Dr. Handell and free any of the remaining subjects. To do that, I am accepting the help of the Avengers, all of whom are more than capable of being a major asset,” Auria recited firmly, staring herself in the eye and trying to make herself look certain and determined. If she didn’t feel the confusion knotting her stomach, then she would have believed the girl in the mirror.

She let go the illusion, dragging her loose tank with the slits already cut in the back out of her bag. It was a pale pink, far too soft for her to usually wear but when she was somewhere safe she enjoyed the pretty color and the way the shirt felt loose and free. Normally she would never wear it here, but her bandaged torso and aching body made her long for her comforting sleep clothes that wouldn’t restrain her instead of the thick shirt and jacket to hide her wings. Her leggings quickly followed, the familiar quickly comforting her and making it easier to imagine going to sleep here where anyone could approach.  

She contemplated her answer, pressing her forehead against the cool surface of the mirror and squeezing her eyes closed as she tried to absorb the sensation. It was true, but when had she ever wanted help before? Never. She would never be here if she wasn’t worried that her presence had brought Itex’s attention to the Avengers. Staying could make it worse, but whenever she thought of leaving and handling it on her own like she should, she felt nauseous, guilt weighing her down and reminding her that she wouldn’t be able to look at herself if someone got hurt when she had abandoned them. Maybe, specifically, a someone who had already survived something terrible.

She scowled at the thought, and the way her stomach fluttered again, the sensation terribly close to butterflies, whenever she remembered Bucky smiling down at her. And then his dismissive anger as she tried to reassure him that he wasn’t responsible for scaring her. What an ass, Auria seethed.

“What are you doing to my mirror?”

Auria whirled at the question, dark with condescending humor, and she glared whenever she met Bucky’s blue eyes. He didn’t seem impressed, merely looked her up and down before crossing his arms dismissively. Oh, she hated that man. With one look he made her feel exposed and then worthless.

“Ever heard of knocking?” Auria snapped, grip tightening on the edge of the counter, knuckles turning white.

“Hey, it’s Steve’s bathroom, I didn’t know I was going to find you pouting in here,” Bucky told her and she felt her nostrils flare as she took a deep breath.

“Go to Hell,” Auria spat, and then he was striding forward. Unlike with Steve, Auria was too furious to be scared and she straightened in under his advance, chin rising.

“I’ve already been, but thank you for the invitation,” Bucky drawled dangerously, face close in her personal space but unlike in the kitchen, he didn’t have surprise on his side. This time she was ready for him and she didn’t hesitate to return his glare with one of her own, vibrating with the force of her anger as she restrained the urge to just throttle him.

“You know what, Barnes, you should take that superiority complex of yours and shove it up your ass,” Auria told him, her voice shaking from emotion, and she saw his eyes widen, taken aback by the force of her emotions or the words she didn’t know, but she pressed her advantage, leaning closer until he had to step away. She smirked.

“Why are you even mad at me?” Auria found herself asking, voice achingly vulnerable, instead of the insult that she meant to say. She immediately bit down a curse as she realized what she had said and kept her face decisively fearless. They were so close she felt him tense, eyes darting over her shoulder before finding their reflection in the mirror. He stared at himself for a moment, eyes darkening as he saw the anger on his face, dangerous way he stood but then his eyes dropped, tracing the strong way she stood against him. It was only her back, but she fit against him, not backing away in fear. Her wings were bare, and as he stared at the monster hovering over the defiant angel he felt the fury build in his veins, crawling up his body until it was trying to crawl up his throat, angry words to spit at her and share the agony he felt. Instead, he looked back down into her dark grey eyes, defiantly waiting for his answer. And then he surged forward and pressed his lips to hers.


	24. After the Kiss

Auria hated to admit it, but she froze in shock. She didn’t move, didn’t even breath, as he pressed his lips against hers, strong hands grabbing her and dragging her against him so hurriedly it left her reeling. It wasn’t a sweet kiss, or a gentle press of lips. It was hard and angry and forceful and she didn’t really mind. She focused on the sensation, overwhelmed as she tried to feel the way his lips fit against hers, his teeth nibbling on her bottom lip, his hot skin against hers, and the way his fingers dug into her skin, hot and cold and framing her body as he held her, all at the same time. She would have been absorbed in figuring out just one of the new sensations, but all at once it left her incredulous and burning as she tried to figure out what exactly she was _wanting,_ and which one she should be paying attention too.

His right hand came up to hold her face, and he tilted her head so that his tongue could find its way inside her lips, parting to let him in, and she practically came undone, unable to focus on what exactly he was doing or how it was making her feel anymore, except for _yes._ But then he stopped.  

He broke the kiss with a gasp, pulling away from her and she caught a quick glimpse of his darkened blue eyes before she panicked. She surged towards him, only now responding, and it took him by surprise as she pressed her body fully against his, hand coming up to grab his face and put his lips back on hers.

If his kiss had been forceful, well, so was hers, and she made up for her inexperience with enthusiasm, running her tongue over his and capturing his surprised moan. The sound made her shiver, and she felt her hands roaming without really thinking about it, burying in his hair, caressing his face, and sliding in under his shirt to feel his hot skin against her palms. He arched into the touch, responding eagerly, and once again she felt his hand around her hips but then he was lifting her up, surprising a gasp out of her as he sat her onto the counter. He moved to stand between her legs before diving back into exploring her skin, lips traveling over her jaw and down her neck.

Her head fell back on its own accord, giving him better access to the sensitive skin as she pulled him closer, needing to feel more of him. This time it was him that buried his hand in her hair and brought his mouth back to crush hers, leaving her feeling bruised and perfect. Auria wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself, and although she knew she would panic later that her body was just doing whatever it wanted, at the moment it didn’t seem important. All that mattered was trailing her fingers over his hip bones, feeling him press into the touch, the constant sway as they pressed against each other before parting, and then doing it again, frantically touching and kissing as if desperate for each other’s touch.

His own hands were roving as well, and although she distantly realized he was trying not to touch her as much with his left hand, the one made of metal, at the moment all she could do was give him a soft growl and tangle her fingers with his.  She moved it from its place on her hip, holding her steady, onto some better areas to explore. She pressed it onto her back, and saw his quick smirk as she pressed small hot kisses along the outside of his mouth and up his jaw, her eyes fluttering shut at the novel sensation of his hands finding their way in under her shirt to slide up her back.

Bucky froze in her arms, and pulled back. She stared at him in alarm, breathing heavily as her mind whirled in rejection. Did he touch her wings, is he repulsed by them, did he remember that she wasn’t human, did he regret touching her, did she do something wrong, what did she do?

She stared into his face, eyes flitting back and forth as she tried to read what he was thinking behind his blue eyes but they just seemed sad. She felt her hands tighten instinctively, unwilling to let him go and then she felt his fingers move, slowly gliding over her scars. Her heart squeezed painfully, making it hard to breath.

The scars started at the base of her spine, and spread the farther up they went, like the trunk and branches of some large tree that spanned across the entire expanse of her back. There were probably only five of them, but they were thick and although they had long since healed his fingers shook as he felt them with the lightest of touches, as if trying not to hurt her. 

Bucky held back his tears, pressing his eyes closed to hide his conflicting emotions. What did he think he was doing? He had somehow forgotten that she had been through so much, had suffered in ways he didn’t even know about, but this shocking evidence brought him back to reality, _hard_.

 He wasn’t good for her, he wasn’t even good for himself. He couldn’t recover from his own past, how would he ever help her with hers without making it worse? Heart sinking, he realized what he had to do.  He firmed his resolve, faced hardening as he moved away from her, feeling her fingers loosening as she realized what he had decided by the expression on his face. When he finally opened his eyes to look at her it nearly killed him to see the pain there, the hurt that he had caused and he couldn’t stop himself as he leaned forward to press one last kiss to her lips.

It was short and almost chaste, but it held such a sweet tenderness that she felt tears well in her eyes, the lids drifting close to memorize the way it felt. Her hand dropped away from him to grip at the counter as she slid off to stand in front of him, and this time her grip made the stone crack. Neither of them noticed as they focused on each other. She longed to ask what happened, what did she do, why had he kissed her in the first place, but her questions felt like ash in her mouth as she watched the detached way he looked at her, the emotional soul he had bared to her already hidden back behind his walls. He had already said goodbye.

“You can have my bed, I’ll sleep on the couch tonight,” Bucky told her indifferently, as if nothing had ever happened and with that he turned and strode out, leaving the door open behind him. Auria stared after him, leaving after turning her entire world on end without a second glance.

“What in the hell?” Auria asked the empty bathroom, veins still thrumming and heart pounding far too fast. She pressed her eyes closed, leaning back against the counter and trying to calm down. Instead she just relived the last few minutes, flushing in embarrassment as she realized that she had made a fool of herself, had thrown herself at him after he had realized he didn’t want her and backed away. What had she done? She buried her face in her hands in horror, mentally cringing in disappointment and misery. She’d have to leave, she couldn’t face him again. The look on his face, he didn’t know how to handle talking to her anymore, not that he ever really did.

_Running away the moment something gets hard, sounds like something a child would do…_

She scowled as she remembered his words, the reason she was mad at him in the first place. It wouldn’t be hard if he hadn’t kissed her! What was up with that, adrenaline fueled rage turned into misplaced lust? Yeah, sure, Auria had heard of weirder things. She grabbed her weapons, feeling better with each one she placed back on her body, anger replacing hurt until she was once again a confident warrior instead of a rejected little girl.

“Well, screw him! Not literally, he obviously doesn’t want to, but whatever! I’m not going anywhere because he’s being hormonal” Auria announced, striding out of the room with what was left of her energy. She wasn’t going to prove him right by running away, just because he had second thoughts about kissing her. That was his fault and he’d just have to put up with being awkward, because it wasn’t her fault. She was going to act like an adult and put the whole thing behind her, if he could act like it never happened so could she.

Decision made, Auria stared at the proffered bed.  It had been cleaned at some point, remade with clean sheets and tucked in with military like precision. Yeah, no, that wasn’t happening, Auria decided with a snort, strolling out back into the living room.

Sleeping in his bed that probably smelled like him or something stupid like that, and that did not sound like it was conducive to her putting the whole thing behind her. Besides, she didn’t want to owe him anything, not even gratitude for letting her use his bed for the night. Instead she went back and stole the extra blanket at the end of Steve’s bed, which was also folded but it wasn’t so precise as to be compulsive. It was a quilt, probably used whenever it was colder. Steve had offered anything she needed, and so Auria didn’t feel guilty about wrapping it around her and falling onto the couch.

It was set up in a position where she could see the entrance to the room, and thinking of the usual occupants it was probably intentional, and her wings were hidden by the tall back.  It helped set her at ease, knowing that whenever someone entered she would be able to see them immediately. Auria tentatively asked Friday to wake her if a threat was coming, which she answered in the affirmative, and with the A.I. on watch, this was probably she safest she had been in a long time. Auria felt herself relaxing into the cushions.

She thought she would be out immediately, her throbbing side and aching head misleading her into thinking her body’s weariness would outweigh her minds fears, but as she closed her eyes and buried her face into a throw pillow, she found herself reliving the kiss. She snarled angrily as she found herself remember the way he felt. She twisted around until she could bury her face into the back of the couch, her back open to the room. It was far more exposed than she usually liked to feel when she knew others had access to her, but at this point her heart felt far more in need of protection.

Curled up and exhausted, Auria didn’t know how long she laid there while her mind tortured her, but at some point her psychical condition caught up to her and sent her into unconsciousness where her body could heal itself without her fretting slowing it down.

 

* * *

 

 

 

Auria woke an indeterminable amount of time later from one of the deepest sleeps of her life filled with panic and fear. Someone was leaning over her, broad shoulders blocking out the light and leaving them in shadow and Auria reflexively shot to her feet, leaping onto the back of the couch with a spread of her wings, one of her knives in front of her and pointed at his - it was definitely a man’s- throat.

“Woah, calm down! It’s Steve. Bucky just came in and said it looked like you were sick, I was just checking on you,” Steve told her soothingly, hands in front of him to show her that he was harmless, dressed in pajamas. His blond hair rumpled from sleep. She relaxed as she recognized him and then she realized what he was talking about. She was burning up. She was covered in sweat, sticking her clothes to her skin and making her blade slippery in her hand.

“Oh no,” Auria breathed in horror, knife dropping in dismay and wings folding on her back as she slid back onto the cushions. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and soon she would start shivering. It felt like heat was spooling in her chest, molten wire tightening painfully, she knew, until it reached the point where it couldn’t anymore, and when it was so tight it couldn’t go any farther that was when it would explode. This was not good, she didn’t think this would happen for a while! Auria tried to think back, tried to find the symptoms leading up to this but she couldn’t’ think of anything that would set it off. Oh.  Hercules. She had drained his strength.

“Auria, what is it?” Steve asked, and the sound of his voice raised in alarm brought Bucky into the doorway from their bedroom. Auria didn’t notice as she leaned over her knees, taking deep breaths and trying to get the knot of fire to relax.

“Where’s somewhere safe? A place that even you can’t break?” Auria asked around gasps and Steve’s face rumpled in confusion. He answered however, not having to know why to know that it was important.

“There’s kind of a gym where we all train, it’s pretty much break proof,” Steve told her and then she was shoving herself to her feet, grabbing his arm in a grip so tight that he jumped in surprise. He definitely _felt_ that.

“Show me,” Auria ordered and Steve didn’t hesitate to obey, the desperate look on her pained face and the tight hold she had on his arm letting him know that this was serious. She moved quickly for someone who was just curled up, and her sense of urgency spread itself to him. Bucky came along, still dressed and obviously hadn’t been to bed yet, but Auria couldn’t spare any time to think about him. She had to get there _now._

 She moved past the elevator and Steve hesitated before following, easily keeping up with her fast pace as she ran down the stairs. He passed her to show her the way, and she threw a glance over the rail, gauging how much it would hurt if she decided to go the faster route and leap over. She had already considered flying in this corridor, and it was impossible, but if she opened her wings enough to slow her fall, would she make it?

“Don’t even think about it,” Bucky growled from her right side and if she could have, she would have spared a moment to glare at him. As it was, she only quickened her pace, following Steve. She didn’t know if she would usually be able to keep up with him, but with her stolen strength swirling in her veins and trying to burn its way out, she had to keep herself from passing him. Sliding down steps and stumbling, she certainly wasn’t graceful like the two men accompanying and she would certainly feel stubbed toes and pulled muscles later.

“Here, we’re here, just hold up,” Steve told her and she slid to a halt, Bucky’s hand shooting out of grip her upper arm and keep her on her feet. She tugged herself out of his hold, ignoring the blank look on his face. Steve was saying something, and then the door was sliding open, leading out into a giant rectangle room that was full of exercise gear. It was open to a few floors above it, darkened balconies empty high above her head. Her quick glance of the place reminded her of a gladiator’s coliseum. It seemed eerily familiar and she didn’t recognize a lot of the equipment in the room but at the moment none of that was important.  

“Okay, now get out of here,” Auria told them, moving into the middle of what she thought of as an arena. She had been in one before but that was always against her will. Right here, right now, she didn’t want to be anywhere else, and she certainly didn’t want anyone else here with her to get hurt.

“No way, we aren’t leaving you,” Steve told her firmly, and she looked back to find both of them had followed her into the room.

“It’s best if you do,” Auria told them, voice edged in desperation as she felt the heat in her skin start to pulse and spread through her limbs. Unfortunately, it wasn’t natural in her body and it _hurt_.

“Auria, are you okay?” Bucky asked, voice actually dipping in concern as she started to pant, and she wanted to snap at them that no, she was obviously not okay!

“It’s fine, I’m used to it. Not safe,” she gritted out between her teeth, eyes widening in a panic as she realize that they weren’t alone.  Black Widow strolled towards them out of the shadows, dressed in tights and a sports bra with a loose sweater hanging off of her shoulders. Her red hair was pulled back into a ponytail, knuckles wrapped, dressed for a workout.

“What is it?” Steve asked, ignoring the not safe part in order to come closer and place a hand on her arm. He frowned as he felt how hot she was, unnaturally feverish.

“Get away from me,” Auria snarled and he jerked away at the vehemence in her voice. She spread her wings, violently snapping them out with a loud sound that made them step farther away from her and the motion calmed the heat in her veins at least for the moment. She had to get it out.  Flying would usually help, but it was too late. It had simmered instead of leaking out slowly, and now she was about to explode, and when she did it would be violently. She needed to hit something, and if they weren’t careful, it was about to turn into _someone._

Auria thrust down as hard as she could with her wings, sending her into the air and towards the ceiling at far too fast a rate, but she didn’t slow down. She heard shouts of surprise from below her but didn’t stop her ascent, instead going faster.  She hit it with a loud crack, and she felt the roof shake from the impact but even the pain radiating from her shoulder didn’t dull the energy inside of her for long. She fell from the sky, wings pumping furiously to keep her in the air. She flipped over to soar over the equipment. There had to be something to help her get this _out_!  She remembered Widow’s wrapped knuckles and turned directions in a flash, diving in the direction the other woman had come from and finding punching bags.

She hit the first one as hard as she could, sending pain back through her limbs but that was what she needed. She needed to let this aggression out before she could hurt someone, and the fastest way to do that was to embrace the pain, let it dull the emotion and weaken her until it drained away harmlessly. The bag flew from the impact, ripping open and she turned towards the next, clenching her fist and hitting it with her bare knuckles. It jerked away from her, starting to split, and she leapt in the air, using her wings to gain height as she twisted to kick it as hard as she could. She punched it again, changing from left to right hands until she felt her knuckles start to pop and bruise.

“Auria, stop! You’re hurting yourself!” Bucky screamed, wrapping his arms in under hers and jerking his hands up back behind her head so that she couldn’t move. She arched backwards, kicking at him, but he didn’t flinch away from the pain, unwilling to let her go after the bag anymore.

“Let me go!” Auria yelled, wings maneuvering to put more space between them, but he had learned his lesson earlier and now he squashed them against his body, holding her tightly against him. He didn’t know if it hurt, but he would rather she never forgive him for accidently hurting her a little bit instead of watching her purposely batter herself bloody.

“No, no, there has to be a better way,” Bucky told her, pleadingly looking to where Steve stood.

“You can hit me,” Steve told her suddenly, and Bucky glared at him. That was not the type of help he wanted.

“You’re both idiots,” Bucky snarled, fearsome expression falling when she spasmed in his arms.

“Bucky,” she tried to yell, but it came out strangled as she felt the heat rising, pressing against the back of her eyes and up her throat. She twisted in his hold, bringing her elbow down to break his hold and shove him away. She backed up as far as she could before, holding on with the last of her strength before she let the rest of it out, riding a scream. She didn’t see Bucky reaching out for her, or Steve curling around Natasha to protect her body with his own. She couldn’t see anything.

It was like an invisible wave of sound, building within her before pulsing out like the waves caused by a pebble dropped into a lake, but in this case it was a boulder and those waves psychically hit the three people surrounding her like a freight train. They flew backwards, hitting the ground with enough force to leave their ears ringing as they rolled.

It felt never ending, the energy ripping itself out of her like it had a life of its own and it wanted to get out of its cage made out of her flesh. She didn’t stop screaming, riding it out on her knees as her back arched and her wings stretched to their fullest length, nearly pressed against each other in her agony. When it finally stopped it was like no one could believe it was over, the silence deafening as she tried to breathe. Then she was falling, face bouncing off of the floor and leaving her reeling as she tried to hold onto consciousness.

Soft hands brought her back, gently smoothing her hair away from her face, and with a smile she recognized the different sensations of one being made of metal, reaching through her numbness. Then she frowned, rolling onto her side with a groan and feeling the news aches and pains clamoring for her attention. The thing she felt the most however, was the hollow feeling inside of her, like someone had scooped out her insides and left the thin bruised outer shell.

“You with me?” Bucky asked her, and she nodded as he lifted her up, propping her back against his leg whenever she started to sway. His arm was firmly wrapped around her shoulders.

“What was that?” Natasha asked quickly, and Auria’s eyes opened to find Steve kneeling by her other side and Natasha hovering over all of them, face indecipherable.  She was bleeding from a cut on her forehead.

“I’m so sorry, I told you to stay back,” Auria told them, words cut off by a cough as she strained her raw throat.

“Hey, no harm done,” Steve promised her, but she could see the fear he was trying to hide in his eyes. It wasn’t for him, her ‘attack’ had barely knocked the wind out of him, but it was scary realizing that he had no idea what she could do.

Auria cringed away from that look, strained wing muscles aching as her feathers fluttered anxiously. She jumped whenever Bucky gently stroked her wings, settling the feathers in under his calm touch in the same way that you comforted a child by stroking their hair. She leaned away from him, crawling out of his reach in order to try and struggle to her feet. He let her go.

“How much damage did I do?” Auria asked, voice gruff as if she had gargled glass.  She looked around, finding the destroyed punching bags, equipment tipped over and scattered, and then up to where she had hit the ceiling. It seemed stable, had to be to put up with the super powered people that practiced here.

“Not much, I’ve probably done worse,” Steve told her and although that was probably a slight exaggeration, his smile was easy enough to convince her not by much. She started to relax, wings drooping form the effort to hold them up but although she was tired out, her mind was far too alert to consider going back to sleep.

“I’ve seen Bruce go Hulk up close, and I’ve seen that desperation on his face before he lost control,” Natasha told her firmly and Auria felt her head shoot up at the comparison. It was true, the Hulk was a hero now but he hadn’t always been.

“I usually have better control, I promise. I just…” Auria tried to explain, words failing her as she realized how badly she had messed up. She just let her guard down? And put people at danger?

“Come on, let’s go get hot cocoa and talk this out,” Steve decided, ushering them towards a door, not the one they had come in. This one led to the elevator, and Auria was too tired to complain, softly smiling to herself at the muscled soldier offering cocoa as the solution. Bucky didn’t look at her.

“You want me to wake up everyone else, or would you rather us tell them tomorrow?” Steve asked her and she gritted her teeth, rubbing her eyes. What time was it anyway?

“Tony’s still up, tinkering with his toys. Clint left last night, and Bruce is finally catching up on some sleep,” Natasha told them, and Auria raised her eyebrows. She wondered how the woman kept track of all of her teammates before deciding she’d rather not know.

“Good, Bruce needs his rest and Clint hasn’t taken a break in a while. We’ll just give Tony a call to see if he wants to come up, and then we’ll catch everyone else up later. Sound good?” Steve asked and Auria nodded, not seeing any faults in his plan.

 As the door opened and Steve went to call Tony and Bucky strode away from Auria as fast as he could, Auria exited the elevator at a more sedate pace. She felt her knees contemplating the urge to buckle but she fought it, eyes on the couch that she could barely make it too if she held on. Before she was half way there they surrendered without asking permission, and she found her face heading back towards the floor once more before someone wrapped their arms around her back, catching her up behind her knees and lifting her into the air.

“I’ve got you,” Natasha told her simply, and Auria huffed in surprise, struggling to object that she could walk on her own, but at the moment she wasn’t sure. Natasha nearly threw her in surprise at how light she was, using too much strength to lift her up, but then she settled the younger girl on the couch, kneeling to look over her new bruises.

“Have you always gotten in this much trouble? You’ve been bleeding since you’ve arrived,” Natasha told her ruefully, and Auria shrugged, the motion sending pain through her injured body.

“Hate to admit it, but yeah,” Auria told her with a cough. The sound of the microwave beeping, called both of their attention to Steve attempting to juggle coffee cups and his cell phone at the same time. Bucky strolled into the kitchen, easily swiping the cups out of Steve’s hands before nudging him away from the microwave. They easily moved around each other, Steve talking to a disgruntled Tony if the voice coming through the phone was any indication, and Bucky making everyone hot chocolate. Steve hung up, taking the drink from Bucky with a grateful dimpled grin that made the other man roll his eyes.

“Tony’s on his way, but he said to tell you, and I only quote to warn you, ‘that he was only coming because your weirdness was interesting’,” Steve told her with an apologetic shrug but Auria wasn’t bothered. She knew she was weird.  Natasha settled herself onto the couch next to Auria, evidently ignoring the fact that it was actually Steve and Bucky’s room. She made herself at home, tugging Auria’s abandoned blanket off of the floor and tucking it around the younger girl and herself. Auria sighed, trying to project annoyance, but she still blushed, touched that the other woman was comfortable enough that she wanted to be around her, even after everything that had happened.

Luckily the boys were used to having company and there were comfortable chairs placed in front of the couch. They both settled into them after giving the women their hot chocolate. Auria murmured her thanks, avoiding Steve’s eyes. Natasha sniffed at the cup curiously before daring a sip. She raised an eyebrow but otherwise didn’t comment, and from Steve’s grin, he took that as a win. Auria sipped her own, enjoying the warmth of the drink and the richness of the flavor, steadying her and anchoring her to the present. Steve might’ve been right, hot chocolate was perfect.

A moment later, the elevator slid open, and in came a very dirty and exhausted Tony Stark, still radiating confidence and amusement even though his smile fell in half the time it usually did. He strolled into the room, eyeing Auria and her sitting companion before settling into the sofa next to Natasha, smirking at Steve’s glare.

“Do not get grease on my furniture,” he warned, and Tony looked down to find the black smudged onto the tan fabric.

“Oops,” he said, obviously not bothered and Steve’s glare intensified as Tony crossed his hands behind his head, most definitely smearing more of the grease on the back of the couch.

“So, Happy Feet did what exactly?” Tony asked, leaning forward to snatch Auria’s cup and take a sip. He made a face before passing it back, ignoring her glare. He didn’t even try to take Natasha’s.

“Penguins can’t fly,” Auria told him, stuck on the little unimportant fact, and Tony rolled his eyes. Steve blinked at her blankly.

“Happy Feet, it’s about a penguin?” Auria asked more than told, unsure of her knowledge considering she had never seen the movie but Tony’s snort confirmed her guess while Steve’s expression cleared.

“Not important, what’d you do, kid? You have some kind of explody power you didn’t tell us about?” Tony asked, and she scowled at her cup, preoccupied with considering whether or not she should drink out of it, more than his annoying question, or the fact that he called her kid. Auria took a drink. She’d consumed worse things.

“Aren’t you a genius Stark? Explody?” Bucky asked slowly, mouth curling into a smirk.

“I went off of a vague description from Captain Grandpa, I’m sorry I couldn’t come up with a  more scientific term,” Tony responded, gesturing grandly in Steve’s direction and Auria decided to answer before they really got into it.

“No, I do not have an expoldy power. I don’t have any powers, not really. I have the basics and then. Well, the opposite of a power,” Auria tried to explain.

“What does that even mean? And the basics? You do realize, being able to fly is not a normal ability,” Tony told her slowly, as if she didn’t understand and she rolled her eyes.

“Fine, basics for one of us. You get everything that comes with your dna, in my case 2% pure Martial Eagle that gives me wings, keen eyesight, an internal compass, and a lot of inside crap like an extra pair of lungs, hollow bones, and basically everything that needs to be changed to get me in the air,” Auria told them, laying it out there and staring at Bucky as she relayed exactly how _not_ human she was, daring him to show how weird he thought it was.

He didn’t seem upset in the least. He didn’t look away, confidently staring into her eyes and after a moment the silence had gone on too long. Finally she looked away, shrugging and opening her wings the slightest bit, brushing the closest one against Natasha and the other one against the couch.

The assassin blinked in surprise, reaching out as if to touch the grey feathers but hesitated, not sure if she should. She looked up at Auria who just smiled and nudged her with the wing again, giving her permission to run her fingers over the edge of the feathers.  

“They’re softer than I thought,” Natasha told her simply and Auria blushed, pathetically pleased that she liked them.

“Thank you,” Auria told her before folding them once more.

“Hey, do you mind if I take a look at your wings? Sam’s are amazing, I would know because I did some work on them and improved them, but yours are obviously more natural. It’d be great to compare notes and to see if we could update his wings to be even more effective,” Tony told her, sliding into inventor before her eyes and although she stilled at the question she couldn’t really think of any reason why not. Unless it was a trap and he lured her down there to chain her in the basement, and really at this point even the voice that whispered distrust about everyone wavered when it came to the Avengers.

“Sure, Tony,” Auria found herself agreeing his excited grin, and beaming expression made up for the nerves she felt.

“Hey, I thought you didn’t want anyone staring! I’ve been dying to get a closer look and draw them but I’ve been respectful of your personal space,” Steve told her, or rather Tony, since he was directing this at him with a disappointed stare.

“Um, I guess that’s cool too?” Auria told him, not really sure why he would want to but then his expression was lightening with surprise and growing excitement and for a moment he looked as young as he really was, not burdened by the responsibility of leading anyone or saving the day.

“Really? You don’t have too,” Steve told her and she gave him a half grin, relaxing more as she caught his eyes widening in anticipation.

“Have at it, nerd,” she teased, getting a fake scowl from the blonde soldier.

“Tony’s just as much as a nerd,” Steve objected and she nodded.

“Definitely,” Natasha agreed, smirking as the man in question glared at her. She didn’t seem scared in the least.

“Okay, so, you’re part bird. We’ve already settled that. What I want to know is what the fuck you were doing trying bash your own face open?” Bucky asked, and the room sobered. Tony’s surprised eyes flicked from Bucky’s furious expression to Steve’s grave one, before finally settling on Auria.

“Pain helps,” Auria muttered, staring at the cooling drink in her hand to avoid their gazes. She didn’t want to know how that made them feel.

“With what?” Natasha prompted calmly, and the woman’s steady presence by her side gave Auria strength to continue. She settled into the couch, feeling curiously warm in under their attention. When was the last time that anyone cared? Was it the Flock, whenever they had first saved her? It had to have been. But they didn’t need her around, it was better when she wasn’t around.

“Like I said, I don’t have any special skills, not like, well. You saw Max! She’s been able to go 350 in s fast dive. Her speed developed a few years ago, before I met her. It’s a mutation, our dna so changed that it continued to change. I don’t have any of that. I have my training, my original advancements made with the new generations modifications, but even those aren’t enough to outweigh their gifts,” Auria told them, gesturing with her hands as she talked, “the Elites, the new generation of experiments, and the last to my knowledge. We were supposed to be stronger, better, fiercer, without flaw. Basically the final copy to Max’s rough draft although it didn’t work out that way.” 

“Is Hercules one of yours?” Steve asked and Auria nodded, taking a drink before setting down her cup.

“Yep, definitely. We had a major flaw you see, one they didn’t expect. When they decided to make us fiercer, more… bloodthirsty. More animalistic. Well, they succeeded. An Elite is driven by the need to be the best, an alpha if you will,” Auria told them, feeling more exposed than she ever had as she explained her darkest secrets to these heroes. Bucky was watching her speculatively.

“That’s what you meant, that you had to be the one to fight him,” Bucky realized.

“I’m afraid so. The others, they aren’t like us but Hercules was in charge of the mission, and as an Elite he couldn’t refuse a challenge,” Auria told them and Steve leaned forward, frowning.

“So, you’re like that too? If there’s an Elite out there that wants to be ‘alpha’ you’ll fight ‘til you win or you’re dead?” Steve asked, and she hesitated before answering trying to figure out if he was right.

“I don’t know. I… Like Doctor Handell said, I’m flawed. You might have heard some of the things they had said, Savage and Hercules,” Auria told them, and she felt herself flushing in embarrassment. Of course they all nodded.

“They could put up with our need to be the best, primal instinct is easy to understand after all, but I started displaying undesirable traits,” Auria told them, voice almost mechanical as if she was repeating something she had heard many times.

“What did you do?” Steve asked softly, trying not to be accusatory but she flinched anyway.

“I cared about someone,” Auria told them, and the dead look in her eyes was enough to break his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if I like this chapter.... just tell me if you think I should adjust anything!


	25. Late Night Talks

The silence was heavy as Auria sat her cup down, eyes haunted by a past that they didn’t dare ask about. Steve practically felt his heart break at the expression on the young woman’s face, the never ending ache of loss so strong that Steve had to restrain himself for reaching for Bucky to psychically remind himself that he was there. That his best friend was back by his side, alive once more, was an absolute miracle that Steve was aware of every single day.  Who had Auria lost that it made her ache like that?

To say that Steve was startled by Natasha’s apparent affection for Auria would be both an exaggeration and an understatement. He knew that Natasha had a great heart, capable of loyalty, bravery, and a strong love even if it was hidden. That she seemingly decided that she was going to take Auria under her wing and let her be one of the few people she looked out for was what surprised him. Now Natasha silently took the other woman’s hand.

Auria froze, stiffening at the contact and Steve’s skipped a beat. She stared at Natasha’s slender fingers wrapped around her unresponsive ones as if she didn’t know what was happening but then her grip tightened, her body relaxing into the touch.  Steve’s eyes lifted as the elevator doors slid open, the lack of warning from the Friday and the knowledge that only a few people had the security level access to his floor, and those few were the Avengers, meant that he was expecting the last member of the team in the tower that was not present. He was not expecting the angry expression on Bruce’s face however, and the rare, and worrying, emotion made Steve straighten in alarm, instinctively reaching for his shield that was currently in his room and not by his side.

“Bruce?” Tony asked, dumbfounded by the way he strode towards them, taking charge of the room and commanding their attention before he even opened his mouth. And all of this from a middle aged scientist still in his pajamas and house shoes.

“No one woke me,” Bruce told them, giving the entire room a disapproving look before his eyes fell on Auria, taking in the bruise growing on the side of her face from where she hit the floor, her bloody knuckles, and then Natasha’s hand on her own. He softened at the sight, sighing as he crossed his arms.

“Are you alright?” Bruce asked Auria and she nodded, too stunned by his forceful entrance to try and respond.  Bruce ran his hand through his hair sheepishly, looking back around the room as he realized everyone was staring at him in shock.

“Sorry everyone. But I think it would be best if we took care of her injuries, and let her try and get some rest,” Bruce told them, sheepishly at first but then firmly.

“I’m not tired,” Auria interjected and his brown eyes looked back at her with a stern look.

“I know, but Auria if any of my past experience relates to yours at all, you are probably in shock, and in pain. It would be best for you to tend to your needs rather than having them overwhelm you. You have just expended major amounts of injury, and forcing energy from your body will leave you drained,” Bruce told her gently, and she frowned contemplatively as if she was reluctantly realizing he made sense.

“Do you think I could feel better quicker than usual then?” Auria asked him hopefully.

“I’m not even certain what happened, but in my opinion you should recover if you do not push yourself so soon after an episode,” Bruce told her and she slumped back onto the couch.

“Fine, I’ll try to get some more sleep. But I expect food in the morning,” Auria grumbled. Tony grinned, lazily stretching as he stood.

“That can be arranged. If you get some sleep,” he promised her with a wink, ruffling her hair on his way past. She glared at his back.

“You look like you need some more than me,” Auria protested, and he flipped her off over his shoulder. A flash of white was her quick grin, falling quickly in exhaustion but it had been there. He paused next to the elevator, leaning against the wall to wait for Bruce.

“Are you comfortable here?” Natasha asked her as she stood, staring into her eyes to make sure she told her the truth. The direct look didn’t unnerve Auria as it had others, and instead the intense interest made her smile.

“Yeah, Steve has good taste in couches,” Auria promised her.

“I told you that I would take the couch. You can have my bed,” Bucky interrupted, and Auria glared, not backing down as she met his forceful blue gaze.

“And if you hadn’t ran away because you were scared of the kiss, than I would have told you that the offer is unnecessary,” Auria told him through gritted teeth. Steve snapped around so fast that he almost fell off of his chair, turning to look at his friend with wide eyes. Bucky stiffened, leaning forward with a glare that Auria only returned, although the woman was blushing.  Natasha looked between them with a small smirk before going linking her arm through Bruce’s and leading him away.

“We’ll leave you to it then,” Natasha murmured, leaving the confused scientist into the elevator. She grabbed Tony’s arm on the way, dragging him away before he could get his open mouth closed and moving and make things worse.

“Goodnight, Auria. Boys,” Natasha called to them in amusement, and then the door was sliding closed and Steve was left with the pair staring intensely at each other. Steve looked in between them, uncomfortably shifting as he decided what he should do.  Before the war if Steve had even heard a whiff of the smooth Bucky running away from a woman he would have been all over him, teasing him mercilessly, but these were very different times. And they might just both murder him if Steve even tried it. Steve cleared his throat, getting their attention and immediately regretting it as he became the recipient of two very annoyed and embarrassed gazes.

“I can sleep on the couch. Give you two some…” Steve trailed of, swallowing the word privacy as Bucky gave him a look that easily conveyed his urge to rip Steve’s tongue out and/or detach his metal arm and beat him to death with it.

“No need,” Auria replied coolly, giving Bucky a look that Steve couldn’t decipher. If Bucky’s bewildered expression was anything to go by neither could he, and Auria stood. Steve and Bucky immediately stood as well, and there was an uncomfortable moment as they all stared at each other before Auria grinned.

“Charming,” she noted with a head tilt and Steve winked, tilting an imaginary cap and making her chuckle. For once Steve felt more confident than Bucky when it came to interacting with a pretty lady and Steve couldn’t decide if it amused him to no end, or worried him.

“Fine, no matter what you decide, I’m bunking with Bucky. There will be a spare bed if you want it,” Steve told her, giving Bucky a smug look as he told Auria goodnight and hurriedly headed towards the bedroom. Bucky’s eyes narrowed before he darted after him.

“No you don’t, Steven Rogers you punk, you are not stealing all of my pillows!” Bucky growled and Steve laughed, tumbling into the room before Bucky could stop him. They disappeared from view for a moment, loud thumps and swearing making Auria’s eyebrows rise before it fell suspiciously silent. Auria hesitantly crept forward, peaking through the door to make sure no one had been murdered.

Steve had successfully beaten Bucky into the room and was wrapped up in the entire comforter like some kind of absurdly attractive burrito with a side of patriotism. On the floor. Bucky was smirking from atop the bed, propped up on both of the pillows.

“I call a truce,” Steve offered, voice slightly muffled and Auria laughed as Bucky started pelting him with the pillows before leaping atop of him and tugging at the blanket, sending the blonde sprawling as he unraveled. Steve was retaliating when Auria went back into the living room, picking up the coffee mugs the others had left behind and taking them to the sink. She finished her own drink, content to sit in the kitchen and relax as she listened to the muttering from the bed room, intermittent with curses and laughter.  It fell silent not to long after, and Auria wondered if she should just sleep on the couch so that she could have deniability in case a murder really had happened, but soon she was drooping over her cup and the thought of the grown men purposely leaving her an empty bed and her not using it made her upset.

She rinsed out her own cup and walked quietly over to the room, picking up her borrowed blanket and keeping her footsteps light in order to let them sleep. She slipped into room by the light of the kitchen, looking over to see that they had come to a compromise. Steve was closer to the wall, his back pressed against the wall as he slept on his side and using two pillows, although only one was in under his head. The other was being used for his legs. He was pressed up against Bucky comfortably, legs against his friends and his arms curled up between them, against his side. Auria had been worried they couldn’t fit, but they didn’t seem to have a problem accommodating each other, although she noted they had gotten an extra blanket so no one would steal the covers.

Bucky was on his back, his arms crossed in under his head and he was so still Auria immediately knew he was awake even though his breathing was deep and even, seemingly relaxed. Sure enough whenever she moved out of the doorway she saw his head tilt in her direction, eyes catching the light before they dimmed, leaving them in darkness. Auria felt her way to the bed left empty for her, trying not to feel too awkward and loud in the silence. She couldn’t help but feel expectant, face heating as she remembered her brash words earlier in front of everyone. She never should have brought it up.

She sat down on the mattress, cringing as it made a noise that would have normally been unnoticeable. Now it felt louder and more startling than a gunshot, and she froze before forcing herself to lay down and act like she was unruffled. She couldn’t relax however, muscles tensed as she curled up on her side, wrapping her arms around Steve’s pillow and hugging it to her chest. It smelt like fabric softener and perhaps the clean soap smell that was Steve and it was comforting to know that he was right across the room, perfectly at ease with having her here. Was kind enough to give her his own bed even, not just tolerating her presence but going out of his way to make her feel welcome. Bucky on the other hand, was all sorts of unsettling, and the knowledge that he was right across the room left her frustrated, and not in the good way.

“I’m sorry,” Auria blurted, burying her face into the pillow at how loud her words seemed in the quiet room. After a moment she felt rather than heard movement in the other bed as Bucky faced her.

“What do you have to be sorry for?” Bucky asked softly, his voice lowered in deference to his sleeping friend, and the compassionate intimate sound made her lift her head to look for him although she knew she wouldn’t be able to see. She choked down a bitter sob at the question, knowing he wasn’t asking for her dark history although she suddenly wanted to give him the entire list of her mistakes.

“I understand that you didn’t want.” Auria started, breaking before she could say me and quickly changing her mind, “To speak about what happened, and I should have respected that. Especially in front of your team.”

The silence from across the room was the loudest thing Auria had ever heard as she laid in the dark and desperately hoped that he could forgive her and that they would never have to speak about it again. He had caught her hesitation though, of course, and he contemplated the casual way she was trying to speak, mind buzzing as he tried to figure out what she was really wanting to say.

“Then why did you?”

Auria swallowed thickly, rolling onto her back to stare blankly up at the dark ceiling in mortification. He couldn’t simply say ‘it’s okay!’ and move on with his life, of course not. That would be too easy and wouldn’t torture the hell out of her.

“I don’t know.”

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

His hesitant question made her heart thump in her chest, stomach shifting nervously. She knew what he was going to ask, what they had all wanted to ask and she didn’t know if she could answer.

“If I can ask you one,” Auria decided against her better judgement and she heard him hesitate before taking a deep breath.

“Sounds fair to me, doll,” Bucky told her and she smiled despite herself at the old-fashioned endearment.

“You asked first,” Auria prompted, crossing her arms behind her head and unconsciously mimicking his earlier pose.

“Why aren’t you with Max and the others?” Bucky asked her and she leaned up, startled. That wasn’t what she thought he wanted to know and the question took her off guard. She answered without thinking about it, without censoring her words like she should have.

“Because they are better off without me, everyone is,” Auria told him, clasping her hands over her mouth as soon as she words came out. First her body betrayed her and now her sense did as well, responding to him truthfully before she could decide if she should.

“That’s not true,” Bucky told her harshly and she snorted, laying back down and trying to calm her beating heart.

“You don’t know anything about me,” Auria told him, and this time he responded immediately, not having to take time to think of what he wanted to say.

“I know you’re one of the bravest people I know and that you would do absolutely anything for them, that didn’t take a genius to figure out, sweetheart.”

At the strength of his conviction, Auria felt the tears well up again, something that was happening far too often around these people, but in the privacy of the darkness where no one would ever know that they had been shed, she let them silently slide down her cheeks.

“I’m bad for them, Bucky, no matter how much I don’t want to be,” Auria admitted softly, sharing the source of her private pain in her new life. She could never burden Max with the burden of knowing that she wasn’t as content alone as she claimed, but Bucky simply listened.

“Is it because of the person you lost?” Bucky asked and Auria took a shaky breath, the question she had thought he was originally going to ask now hitting her hard after she had become emotional.

“No,” she told him simply and he didn’t pry, willing to let it drop if she was unwilling to talk about it but she continued after a moment, mind whirling with memories and feelings and things she wanted to say but didn’t know how. She took a deep breath, “He was a fellow experiment.”

She heard Bucky breathe in sharply but he didn’t say anything. She could feel him staring in her direction however, attention focused on her and urging her to go on. He was listening.

“He wasn’t an Elite like me, not even in my generation but when I started showing emotions that were not allowed, weren’t beneficial to missions. Well, that’s when I started seeing him around. At first it was just a glimpse while I was moved from the lab to the training yard, or to the cages. Then he would be involved with whatever my training was, not interacting with me but there. Soon we had to interact. I didn’t know that they it was all on purpose, a test to see if I would become emotionally invested in another, even if it was someone I should have no reason to care about. He wasn’t beneficial you see. Not even a little bit, actually a failure that would have been terminated if they hadn’t found a new use for him. The experiment to purposely administer the appropriate dna to make him be able to camouflage his skin at will had failed, leaving him scarred and weak. I should have dismissed him as useless to my mission but instead I had started paying attention. To his small smile that was kind and so out of place in that hell. His brown eyes were so intelligent, always watching, and he loved the sun, would bask in it whenever we would be outside, ignoring everything around him like it wasn’t important,” Auria paused, caught up with remembering someone she had forced herself to try and forget. The floodgates were open, memories washing over her in a mixture of love and pain.

“What happened?” Bucky asked her gently, and she pressed her eyes closed, eyes burning.

“I failed the test. They killed him in front of me,” Auria whispered, and the sound of Bucky abruptly standing made her open her eyes, his presence quickly moving to stand beside her bed. He kneeled beside it, carefully reaching for her and when he found her arm he trailed his fingers down her arm until he found her hand. Then he cupped it between both of his own, eyes trying to find her face in the darkness. Auria shivered in surprise, the path his fingers had taken tingling from the sensation of his skin against hers and she froze, wishing she could watch his actions, see his face.

“I know it doesn’t change anything. But I am so sorry, Auria,” Bucky told her passionately, and when she didn’t pull her hand away he lifted it to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles, brushing the skin with his thumb. He nearly shook with the need to do more, to pull her back into his arms and hold her, let her know that she wasn’t alone. Hug her again, like he was sure she had never been before. But he remembered the way she pulled away downstairs, his fear had made him reach out for her and she hadn’t wanted him to touch her. Fairly so after he had kissed her and just left, but now he was so scared that he was going to push too far when she needed someone to be here. And so it surprised him when she lifted her other hand and laid it on top of his, sitting up to lean forward and rest her forehead on his shoulder.

He felt tears seep through his t-shirt but she didn’t sob in his arms or even move closer so that he could hold her. Instead she just leaned against him for support, holding his hands holding hers as if she was helping him as well. Bucky closed his eyes, letting his head drop onto his shoulder and for the first time in a long time he didn’t feel scared. There was no part of him that was screaming about hurting someone, or being hurt, or even not being good enough. Instead he was just here, in the moment, and he was doing just fine being himself with Auria when she needed him, even if he didn’t know who that person was. 

He laid his cheek on her shoulder, her skin soft in under his cheek as he pressed against the curve of her neck and smelled the scent of her, the familiar smells of his pine soap and some of the flowery shampoo he had accidentally used his first week here, and what he wanted to describe as just wind.

“Are you okay?” Auria asked him softly and he was surprised by the gentle touch of her hand as she tentatively stroked his hair, pausing for a moment before gaining confidence and running her fingers through it.

“I should be the one asking you that,” Bucky objected, and she stilled at the sensation of his breath against her neck, lips ghosting across the skin, but she shook it off, remembering the way he had walked away earlier. Instead she focused on the way his thumb idly traced over her skin as if he didn’t realize he was doing it. The cool metal was smooth and slid over her knuckles, making her heart speed up against her will. It seemed to be a grounding motion instead of a seductive one, a simple touch to remind him that she was there, just like the way he leaned into her. She wasn’t the only one that needed someone, and she was sharply reminded of the way he hugged her in the lab at the sight of her bloody hands, holding onto her tightly surrounded by the remains of cages. 

“I’ll be fine,” Auria told him, soothing him the way she had seen Max do the Flock’s children. Although she was certain the urge to tighten her hold on his dark hair and pull his lips closer was all her own, and not one that would be particularly soothing. The sensation of the silky strands through her fingers was a novel one anyway, and she was once again torn between focusing and processing different sensations, his breath against her neck, his hand on her own, and the way his hair felt.

“I never should have kissed you,” Bucky muttered and Auria froze, a backlash of pain and rejection making her go rigid. Bucky straightened in alarm, the peace from mere moments before shattered, and he reached for her face in a panic, gripping it between his hands and stroking her cheeks in apology.

“No, no, damn it, I didn’t mean I regret it. God, I don’t regret it,” Bucky told her and she knotted her hands in her lap in confusion, the longing in his voice making her want to lean back into his warmth.

“I should never have kissed you when all I can offer is more pain, not when you deserve so much better than that,” Bucky told her fervently, and she leaned away from his hold, his hands dropping away from her in disappointment.

“I think I’m the one who gets to decide who and what I want, James Barnes,” Auria told him indignantly, and Bucky shushed her, pressing his finger to the approximation of her lips as he tried to listen for Steve. He managed to find them at least, only to have her nip at them in annoyance, making him snort.

God, she wished that she had light so that she could see him, or at least so he could see the glare he was now receiving.

“I know that,” Bucky told her, but it was the same way she had heard Gazzy agree with Max before going ahead and blowing something up anyway.

“Obviously not. I don’t know what kind of girls you were used to back in the day, Bucky Barnes, but I’m not willing to let anyone make my decisions. Not anymore,” Auria told him firmly, lowering her voice so as not to wake up Steve and leaning forward so he could hear her.

“I can honestly say I’ve never met a dame like you,” Bucky told her and she could hear the teasing tone in his voice. She sniffed, shaking her wings out and he shook his head even though she couldn’t see him.

“Not talkin’ bout the feathers,” Bucky told her, and the way he said it made her warm on the inside, almost like when she had taken someone’s power, but this didn’t hurt although she couldn’t contain it either. She found herself smiling goofily at him in the dark, and her hands had somehow found their way back to his.

“You’re something special yourself, even if you are aggravate—“, Auria told him, her words interrupted by a yawn that made her jaw pop. She rubbed her eyes in surprise, realizing that Bruce had been right. She really was exhausted.

“You need to get to sleep,” Bucky told her firmly, shifting back on his heels and she reluctantly let go of his hand.

“Yeah, you should too since you haven’t been to bed yet,” Auria told him pointedly, remembering him being awake whenever Steve had woken her up.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Bucky told her shortly, but she wasn’t going to put up with that when it was about her, and she had just told him her freaking tragic backstory. He was not going to pull the silent treatment.  She grabbed for him as he stood, finding his wrist. She tugged him back towards her, not letting him leave and she felt him tense reflexively before he let her pull him, making him stumble forward. Unfortunately it was into her, and she let out a yelp of surprise as he half fell on top of her. Her wings fluttered instinctively as she toppled backwards, his arms shooting out to catch himself and he easily righted himself into a standing position.

“Sorry,” Auria muttered from her position laying on the bed, and she heard him chuckled before he nudged her knee with his own.

“If you wanted me to stay you could’ve just asked,” Bucky told her with a flirtatious drawl, and she could picture the wide grin and exaggerated wink that accompanied it.

“Shut up, Barnes,” Auria told him, exceptionally grateful that he couldn’t see how red she was. She was just a glutton for punishment and humiliation however and she found herself asking, “What did you mean earlier, that you wish you never kissed me?”

“I should have known that you’ve been through heartbreak before. You’ve already lost someone you’ve loved, you watched him die.  You don’t need me waltzing in and messin with you,” Bucky told her softy. She could feel the heat of his leg against hers, and the way he towered over her, and that distracted her for a minute before she realized what he was saying.

“No, Bucky. I wasn’t in love with him, I didn’t even know what love was then, but I was already on missions and he was just out of the lab. He was only six.”

This time Bucky couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and pulling her up for a crushing hug, his heart being compressed in his chest so tightly he needed to psychically hold her for it to ease. Fortunately she slid her arms around him as well, this time understanding the embrace for what it was.

She was overwhelmed by the sheer empathy and care that he was showing her.  She was wrapped in his arms, surrounded by his heat, and that should totally terrify her but all it did was give her the reassurance that he had her while she broke down. She held onto him tightly, and this time she had to bite back the sobs that shook her body.

He murmured words to her, apologies and platitudes against her hair as his hands rubbed circles on her back, one hand idly smoothing down the feathers that now bristled from her emotions. She didn’t really register anything that was happening, too far gone for anything other than the novel sensation of comfort.

 Her wing pressed into his hand in approval, body responding to the kind touch. They swayed together as she cried, stifling any noise against his shoulder. She didn’t know how long he held her, rocking with her until she calmed down. Only when she got the sniffling under control, unable to find any more tears and with a growing headache behind her eyes, did she realize how tightly she was holding him. She loosened her grip, worrying about hurting him, but he didn’t say a word, only lift his hands to wipe her tears away. His left hand was light against her skin, barely there as if he was worried that he would hurt her or about how she would react and so she tilted her head into the touch, sighing whenever he cradled her face and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.

“Are you okay?” Bucky asked her, and she shook her head, mouth wobbling. She felt like she was going to break apart if he let her go, like she was so fragile that without his support she would shatter.

“I will be,” Auria told him thickly.

“Do you. Would you like me to stay? Just sleep, so you aren’t alone?” Bucky asked hesitantly and Auria contemplated the offer, considering what it would imply if she took him up on his offer. For just this once she wanted to hold onto the sensation of safety, of warmth, and someone caring about her but if he said he regretted it in the morning then it would only be worse when he was gone.

“Wouldn’t Steve miss you?” Auria asked him, but she didn’t let go.

“He’d understand. I couldn’t sleep for a while, had to know he was there,” Bucky admitted but Auria hesitated.

“Hmmpf. Yew can have ‘em. He snores. Go ta sleep,” Steve muttered still half a sleep, Bucky and Auria froze, eyes wide as they realized they had woken him up. And then Bucky snorted.

“I don’t snore Rogers, but that’s swell coming from you, punk. You used to sound like a chainsaw before that serum gotta hold of you,” Bucky taunted his friend.

“Di’ nah,” Steve murmured, almost unconscious and Auria snickered at their bickering.

“Well, now that I don’t have to steal you...” Auria whispered, and Bucky nodded, letting her go so that she could settle back onto Steve’s bed.

“As long as you don’t steal pillows. Or snore,” Bucky grumbled as he stretched out on his side, carefully keeping distance between them. They didn’t touch at all at first, tension thick as they settled into the mattress. She threw her blanket over him, offering to share.

“How would I know if I snored, I’m asleep,” Auria told him, and he rolled his eyes.

“Fine, I’ll tell you in the morning,” Bucky told her and she grinned, hand reaching out to find his and he tilted his hand until he could lace their fingers together. After that it was easy for her to slide closer, pressing her head against his chest as he rolled on his side to face her. He threw his arm over her and tugged her closer, their legs twining beneath the blanket as if in an effort to get as close as possible.

She worried for a moment, that it would be too weird for him as she felt herself relax and her wings brushed against his arms but he only settled more firmly against her. She wasn’t sure if she would go to sleep with him touching her, but her body had other ideas. Safe in his arms and in his warmth she immediately started nodding off.

“G’night,” Auria told him, fighting to stay awake long enough to make sure that he didn’t change his mind but he didn’t seem to be going anywhere.

“Good night, Auria. See you in the morning.”


	26. Breakfast

It was scarcely dawn, the pale light filtering through the window dimly lighting the room. Bucky’s breathing evened out as he sensed someone moving, and his arms instinctively tightened around the woman still in his arms even as his eyes fluttered open, head turning to where Steve had been sleeping the night before.

“Don’t you dare move, Buck. She looks like she’s getting the first good night’s sleep in her life, and I don’t want to be murdered because you got out of bed to go for a run with me,” Steve told him, voice hushed as he slid out of his bed. Or rather, Bucky’s bed since they had stolen his. Bucky rolled his eyes at his best friend, but obeyed, relaxing back into the mattress instead of moving to join Steve for their morning routine. Bucky smirked as he caught sight of the hundred and seventy pound, six foot tall man trying to tip toe, nervously watching Auria whenever he made a sound on the floorboards.

“Scared of a little scrap of a thing like Auria?” Bucky teased, careful not to shift positions and wake the woman in question. She murmured in her sleep at the sound of her name, and Bucky froze in panic. Whenever she simply snuggled closer, burying her face into his neck, Bucky sighed in relief. He couldn’t help but smile softly, before looking back to Steve. He was hovering in the bathroom door, grinning at the sight of Bucky acting sappy, the expression somehow alight with the promise of teasing and yet genuinely sincere at the same time.

“Shut up, Steve,” Bucky muttered, but the dopey smile on his friend’s face made an answering expression stretch across his own. Steve moved quickly after that, changing out of his pajamas and into sweats so he could get out of there before they woke her up. Steve hesitated before leaving, looking back once more, and Bucky looked up sharply, catching the slight downturn of his friend’s lips.

“What is it, Steve?” Bucky asked, and Steve immediately smiled, eyes flickering as he put on an easy expression. Bucky’s face didn’t change, still waiting, and Steve’s expression dropped with a sigh.

“Forgot you didn’t put up with that. I just. Heard more than I was supposed to last night,” Steve told him, looking away from Bucky but then he looked back up, staring at him intently, “I didn’t mean to, but you know how easy I wake up these days. I just wanted to say, that if you want her to, then she has a place here.”

Bucky stared at his brother’s determined expression as he selflessly offered his home to someone he barely knew. Steve’s lips slightly curved in a small smile as he compassionately took in another lonely heart, and Bucky couldn’t think of a single thing to say. He swallowed thickly, searching for any words that could communicate how much he appreciated the selfless friendship of this man that he didn’t deserve as he was once again blown away by the sheer compassion and heart of Steve Rogers even after these decades of friendship.

“Anything for you, Buck. Now get some rest,” Steve told him, understanding like he always did, and easily accepting Bucky without a second thought.

“Thanks, punk,” Bucky finally told him, sharing a smile before Steve left them to sleep in peace.

 Bucky laid there for a while, simply feeling the way she wrapped herself around him so trustingly and marveling at Steve’s offer. Her breathing was easy, sleep undisturbed as he shifted closer in order to get more comfortable and she didn’t move away. He stared at her, in something he could only describe as awe.

 Learning more about her past only made him even more incredulous that she seemed at ease with him, the people that would kill a child, would put those scars on her back, make human being live in those metal cages, those people had shown her how dangerous people could be, how undeniably dangerous that Bucky could be.. His metal arm that had killed people was wrapped around her waist, and yet. Here she was, smiling in her sleep.

Her golden brown hair was spread across the pillow, falling across her face and sliding across his skin in a way that made him want to run his hands through it. For once he could tell how young she was now that her expression was unclouded by weariness. She was beautiful, and he wasn’t sure how he missed it the first time they had met, but it was undeniable now, with her long lashes shadowing her cheeks and her full lips slightly parted. Her large dark wings were folded against her back, but they were relaxed, slightly shifting in her sleep and brushing against him, and making his heart skip a beat as he considered what that meant.

She had purposely hidden them for her own safety, but even once the Avenger’s had known about them, she had preferred to keep them covered, and yet here and now she was bare to him, fully herself. The colors were hard to make out in the semi-darkness, making them look like living shadows, the soft light grey color turning into a deep almost inky shade in a way that would make Steve’s artist self-weep if he got to look this close.  

He longed to touch them, feel how soft they were, but he didn’t want to cross any boundaries or to wake her. Steve was right, she did look like she was getting her first sound sleep in a long time, and so Bucky lay as still as he could. If he was honest, Bucky had probably gotten some of the best rest in as long as he could remember too, certainly better than if he had been alone. Soon he drifted off, lulled by the sound of her light breathing and the sensation of her warmth holding him.

* * *

 

 

Auria woke up with a smile before she realized why. She stilled as she felt Bucky’s arm over her waist, remembering their conversation before he had wrapped her in his arms. She relaxed once more, heart pounding in her chest as she looked over to find Steve already gone.

Bucky was asleep but she knew he would wake up as soon as she moved to get up. Instead, she waited, focusing on the sensation of his body next to hers and the way she could feel his heat. She leaned away the slightest bit until she could see his face and then she sighed, caught up in the peaceful weary expression. He looked so tired, shadows in under his dark lashes, and a small frown tugged on his lips but when he felt her move. She paused, hoping he wouldn’t wake up to find her staring, but he didn’t seem to be awake.

She didn’t stop looking though, drowning in the sight of his face and every detail until she was sure she would never forget it, or the way it felt. No one would ever be able to take this memory away from her. Only then did she decide to break the spell the morning seemed to have cast. As she slid away from him, she saw his eyes open. Immediately, not blearily or slowly as if he had to remember where he was, but like he came awake all at once. Only once his eyes met hers did he smile.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Auria mumbled, brushing her hand through her tangled hair, or at least trying to. She gave up when her fingers snagged on some knots, deciding to just shrug instead.

“It’s okay, this is sleeping in for me. I got out of a morning run with Captain Energy, no need to apologize,” Bucky drawled with a lazy stretch, and Auria blinked in surprise as she got caught up watching the way his body moved.

“Right,” Auria replied without really thinking about it, sliding out of the bed. At that moment her stomach decided to forcibly remind her of her exertion the night before and Bucky blinked in surprise.

“Are you starving? Because that’s what starving sounds like.”

Auria snorted in response, not quite laughing. “Maybe. What did Stark say about breakfast?”

Bucky grinned, leaping out of bed with an energy that did not befit an ancient war vet that had just woken up in the a.m.  Auria grumpily followed behind him, at a much slower pace thanks to the new aches she discovered as soon as she moved.

“What the hell?” Bucky announced, sounding far more baffled than annoyed, and Auria hurried up to find Clint Barton moving around the kitchen dressed in a frilly pink hostess apron and a pristine white chef’s hat. Natasha was perched on a bar stool, slowly picking apart a muffin and popping pieces into her mouth.

“You didn’t have any cooking supplies, you two have got to get your act together. I know your bachelors or whatever but in this day and age you have to be able to cook for yourselves. I had to borrow Pepper’s apron,” Clint told them, dusting off the countertop before laying down a new tray of muffins. Auria blinked in surprise at the scene, none of the questions she had having been answered.

“That’s Pepper’s? Pepper Pott’s?” Bucky asked in disbelief, before shaking his head, “Never mind, once again, what the hell, Clint? I thought you had went home? And why are you cooking breakfast in Steve’s kitchen?”

“Tony bought it for her, was never even opened. Should’ve seen the look on her face. And it’s your kitchen too,” Natasha told them with a smirk, snagging another muffin and avoiding a whack of Clint’s spatula without looking. He was now making pancakes.

“This is my home too, Bucky Bear. And yeah, but I heard a team meeting was called, and food was needed, and I was not leaving it up to Tony. Sure, he can order anything, but nothing makes a kid feel better than home cooked food. How you doin?” Clint told them quickly while whipping the food around. He tossed the pancakes without even blinking, all of them expertly landing in a nice stack, before he turned to ask the last question with plate in hand. He stared at Auria intently and she blinked in surprise, taking the offered plate without thinking about it.

“I’m fine,” Auria told him, and he tapped her on the forehead.

“Not a real answer. No one is ever fine. Either their happy, or upset, or even just tired. Better answer, go,” Clint ordered sternly and Auria gulped, wondering when jokester Clint Barton turned into the secret guerilla parent.

“I guess I’m a little tired still,” Auria tried, and he smiled, satisfied with her answer, before turning back to his food.

“Better. You’ll get there. Now eat up before it gets cold,” Clint told her and Auria obediently sat at the bar next to Natasha. She laid a muffin on her plate. Bucky sat next to her, giving her warm smile that made Auria’s insides melt for a moment.

“Where’s mine, Clint? It is my kitchen too,” Bucky told him, and Clint threatened him with some sort of giant fork Auria couldn’t decide what was for.

“This isn’t a diner, you are not placing orders. Eat what you get,” Clint told him before delivering an equally full plate of pancakes in front of him. Bucky actually seemed surprised for a moment, before he smirked and batted his eyes at the archer.

“I knew you always liked me,” Bucky told him with a sort of purr that made Clint make a sound of disgust and Natasha chuckle.

“You wish, just eat your pancakes. Auria’s already my favorite,” Clint retorted, making Auria choke. Bucky pat her on the back as Clint delivered orange juice. That’s how Steve found them when he got back still sweaty from his exercise, all worriedly surrounding Auria, Clint in his unique chef’s attire, and with his kitchen was overrun by breakfast.

“What’s going on?” Steve asked, taking a deep breath, and Natasha pulled up the remaining stool.

“Clint’s cooking.”

Steve grinned, moving close to snag a muffin before heading off to take a quick shower. When he got back Tony had stolen his stool and was simultaneously stuffing his face and was arguing with Bucky over what Auria’s wings meant to the adjustments he wanted to make on Sam’s,  while also passive aggressively shoving food in Bruce’s direction, whom was leaning against the island sipping out of a coffee cup. Steve grumbled about his spot but secretly admired Tony’s persistence as Bruce finally started nibbling on one of the offerings, offering his own opinions every now and again.

Steve settled next to Auria after shoving Natasha’s legs out of the way, and earning a scowl that he only returned with a sweet grin. She forgave him with a roll of her eyes, scooching over to make room. Steve made his plate around the mess of people, giving Bucky puppy dog eyes until he noticed and handed him the sausages he couldn’t quite reach, which he only did with an exaggerated eye roll. Everyone seemed to be doing that to him today, Steve noted with a small sniff, but one that was accompanied with a smile as Auria handed him the orange juice. He had sat next to her purposely, taking in her lean frame and alert expression. Strong eyes. He leaned just a bit closer to get her attention, and she looked at him startled.

“Welcome to the family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short apology chapter for it being such an absolute eternity since updating!


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